Eventuality
by Ghostalker
Summary: I was going on a walk. Really. It was purely for some fresh air and some exercise. I wasn’t looking for trouble.Unfortunately, trouble found me.Sequel to Duality and Finality. RavenxOC Rated T for language & violence. R&R.
1. Chapter 1 Rendezvous

_It was a very dark night._

_It wasn't the kind of night you would normally think of taking a walk on. I mean, it was _pitch black_. No moon. Only the dim glow of the streetlights illuminated my path. _

_I shivered. It was cold, too. __Very cold.__ I should __have brought__ my sweatshirt. I was wearing my white trench coat, as usual, but still… the white t-shirt underneath wasn't enough to insulate me from the frigid air._

_I was going on a walk. __Really.__ It was purely for some fresh air and some exercise. I wasn't looking for trouble._

_Unfortunately, trouble found me._

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Red X was not the type of villain one would think would take a walk. I suppose everyone needs their fresh air, but he was always wearing a _mask_, for heaven's sake. How can you get any fresh air with a mask on?

I almost literally bumped into him, my head down as I brooded over the latest relationship issue with Raven. Sure, I loved being around her, and as far as I could tell, she liked me, but ever since Tylan had left she seemed… well, _subdued_.

Who can blame her? As far as I could tell, Tylan was the best guy any girl could hope to have. But for some reason, she had chosen me over him. Who was I to complain?

But I'd been seeing some signs that she really missed him. She still smiled when I walked in, but it seemed strained. She still gave me hugs, but she was tense, or hesitant. And late at night, I had heard her muttering something that sounded very much like his name.

But enough about him. I would have run straight into X had my mind-sense not tipped me off to his presence. I looked up just in time to avoid hitting him. He snapped his head around and would have glared at me, I'm sure, had he not been wearing his customary mask.

"Sorry." I wasn't like Robin. I wasn't about to arrest this guy. He'd helped me on the Zandia operation. Or at least, he'd told me where it was. I nearly wolf-whistled. That operation… quite an experience.

"You should be," he snapped back. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Taking a walk. You?" I folded my arms across my chest.

"The same."

I smiled wryly. "Wouldn't you rather teleport? That seems to be more your style."

"No. Teleporting allows no time for thinking." He folded his arms as well. "What? Not going to call your friends?"

"Nope. I'm not like Bird Boy. I don't arrest people who help me. I'm a bit more loyal than that." I cocked my head. "Why aren't you teleporting away? I mean, I _could_ take you in."

"I figured you wouldn't. After all, I know your secret. And I haven't told it to anyone… _yet._" He chuckled. "But if you turned me in, that would change pretty quick."

"Fair enough." I turned around, taking in the place. "So what's a big bad, villain like yourself doing out in the open? Not stealing anything?"

He leaned in close. "I'll tell you a little secret. But we gotta go somewhere else. They've got ears everywhere."

"Alright. Where?"

He paused for a moment, considering. "Let's meet…" he scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to me. It read, "at the warehouse on 75th and Maple."

"Fine. Now?"

"Yeah."

"See ya there."

He winked out of sight, and I turned towards the destination. Who were the people he was talking about? The "they" who had ears everywhere. I shrugged, and looked down at the scrap in my hand. Suddenly realizing why he had written it down, I pulled out my lighter and burned the paper. Then I leaped into the air, GRAVE allowing me to fly, if for only a few seconds at a time.

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I arrived a few minutes later. X was waiting for me, his arms crossed. "What took you so long?" he joked.

I groaned, but I approached him. "So… what was it you wanted to tell me?"

He glanced left and right, as if someone might be watching. "Last night, I found Slade's lair. I figured, since he was still missing, he wouldn't mind if I took some stuff. Found some pretty nasty business there.

"So? Slade's a psychopath. Not as bad as some Zandia villains I know of, but still…"

"Here's the thing. It was all fresh. It's as if Slade was there that day. Everything was pristine. No dust. I know; I check for that kind of thing all the time. Dust leaves prints. It makes it so I can't be invisible. So believe me, I would know about that."

I held up my hands. "All right, I get it. But if not Slade, then who?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. But whoever it is, it isn't the Easter Bunny. Whoever it is, they're not only interested in his stuff, but they're looking for a way to improve on it."

I shook my head. "That doesn't tell me anything. What was it that you saw? What kind of 'nasty business?'"

He leaned in close. "It's called tresterium. I don't know where it came from, but my guess is it was manufactured. I stole some data on it, and from a cursory glance, I can tell you it's not good."

"How so?"

"This stuff is extremely toxic. But not immediately. It poisons the body and mutates it some. Makes the person incredibly strong. And fast. But they age quickly, and eventually, it kills them."

"Oh." I nodded. "That's pretty interesting. Do tell; what danger is this?"

"Henchmen."

"Ah." I pondered that for a second. "That would be a good use for it."

"Yeah. Inject them with the stuff, and they get super strength and speed. And then, after a few battles, they die. You get all the benefits, and they don't get paid. Pretty smart."

"I'll say. But why are you telling me all this?"

He shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess it's because I rob bad guys too. If this gets out, my job gets that much harder. And why hire a burglar when your super-henchmen can just break in and get whatever you want?"

I nodded in understanding. "Job security."

"Precisely."

"You know I can't act on this, right?"

"Why's that?"

"What am I going to tell Bird Boy? I can see it now: 'Hey, I went for a walk last night, ran into Red X, the robber who's like your archrival, and he gave me this tip about some stuff in Slade's lair. Oh, and I didn't arrest him.'" I gave him a skeptical look. "Yeah, that would really go over well."

"Well, what if I tell you where Slade's lair is?"

I considered. "That might work. I could find it 'on my own' and then tell Bird Boy."

"But what about me?"

"I suppose we could sell the stuff on eBay and give you 50 of the profits…

"I don't want that stuff out."

"Yeah, I know. I was kidding."

"Gotcha."

I turned to go. "So, what do you get out of all of this? Personal satisfaction?"

"No. Just some job security. Or whatever you can give me. See if you can scrounge something up for me when it's over." He paused. "I know… I'll take Slade's thermal blaster. That's always been one of my favorite weapons." He chuckled again. "I'll probably be seeing you around, Smith."

"Yeah. Oh, and for the record, if we see each other when I'm actually on duty, I'm gonna have to kick your ass."

"You can try, hero."

An explosion rocked the warehouse, throwing both of us off our feet. As I got to my feet, I could see Slade-like robots streaming in through the holes in the wall, and behind them…"

"Shit…" I muttered. It was Cinderblock. And another chunky guy, with long red hair and a brown trench coat. _What the…?_

"Who… are you?" I whispered, dazed.

He snickered, then snorted. "I'm Slade. Or at least, all these guys think I am." He held up a remote control in his hand. "See? I'm controlling them!"

"Well, if you're really Slade, then why don't you come and face me like a man?" I growled, my eyes turning a ghostly green.

"Hmm… don't think so!" He snorted again. "I'll just have my minions destroy you!"

The robots lunged at me.

I moved quickly, casting an Illusion on myself to enhance my reflexes, and whipped out my electro-knives. They arced with miniature bolts of lightning, and I used them to tear through the slade-bots guarding the fat weirdo. I cut through the last of them, only to find myself face-to-face with Cinderblock. I smirked. Cinderblock would be a cinch compared to the robots. Tiny though it was, he had a brain, and I could do so much more with an actual mind to manipulate.

I reached down deep into my power source, searching for the right mix of words to cast the Illusion I wanted. To Cinderblock's eyes, I grew until I was eighteen feet tall, and I flickered with black flame. My eyes glowed a sickly green, and I reached out for him with my clawed hands as if to steal his soul.

He fainted.

I turned my attention to the "mastermind," who sat cowering in the corner of the room, his eyes filled with fear. "Don't come any closer!" he wailed. "I mean it!"

"Or what?" I cast an Illusion on him to make my voice sound booming and low. "What could _you_ possibly do to _me?"_

He stood and dashed at me, his fist drawn back for a punch. I laughed. This out-of-shape loser couldn't possibly hurt me.

The next thing I knew, I was seeing stars, and I landed hard on the ground… all the way across the warehouse.

My belt short-circuited and blew, the intense heat frying the delicate human brain cells in it. _Damn, now I can't use SHROUD or GRAVE._

"Hehehehehe! See you later!" cackled the red-haired maniac.

What was wrong? I had just had my ass kicked by a fat _kid_. I shook my head. I must have really been losing my touch.

_And I can't get back quickly without GRAVE… I'll have to walk._

So walk I did.


	2. Chapter 2 Reacquaintance

Ah yes, I realized that I forgot to put this into the last chapter at the beginning.

So here it is in this one!

The sequel is here! Mwahaha! Enough of that for now. I just want everyone reading this story, especially any lawyers who don't have anything better to do with their time than scan fanfiction sites, to know that I do NOT own the Teen Titans. Or Edna Mode. Or John Smith, for that matter, for he belongs to the one and only Phaethon. You should check his stories out too; Smoke and Mirrors and Wraiths and Hauntings. They're spectacular.

So, without further ado or silliness, here it is.

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Robin was not happy.

Now when I say that, it is an extreme understatement. Not only was he furious that I went for a walk (unauthorized, of course), but he was livid when I told him of my conversation with X. Somehow, I think he didn't like the idea of someone on _his_ team conversing with the enemy and not arresting him. Fortunately, when he heard about my fight with the red-haired guy who claimed to be Slade, his interest was piqued and the steam coming from his ears seemed to die down.

"Control Freak," he said. "It was Control Freak. He loves to control things, but ordinarily, he only has control over televisions and some other miscellaneous electronic devices. And he definitely isn't that strong."

"Dude, the guy is like, a fat nerd!" exclaimed Beast Boy. "There's no way he could beat _me_ up, let alone _you_."

"That's where it gets complicated…" I replied. "You see, X told me about some stuff he'd found in Slade's lair. Some stuff called tresterium." And then I told them all about what it did.

Raven looked grim. "That's probably what Control Freak was on. That would make sense if he were the one in Slade's hideout; he'd have access to security codes, etc. that would make controlling Slade's robots very easy."

"Yes, but what I don't understand is how Control Freak fits into this. Sure, he's a villain and all, but he's no supervillain, and he sure isn't bright enough to get into Slade's lair, let alone come up with this diabolical plan." Robin paced the room. "There's got to be someone behind this. I would say Slade under the normal circumstances, but I can't imagine that even he would let Control Freak just mess around with his robots."

"That, and Slade is gone. Remember?" I pointed out. "He was still inside Tierce when Tylan defeated him four months ago. He's got to still be inside that sword."

"Well, friends, it seems to me that we should go to the island of volcano and see friend Tylan." Starfire was laying on the couch with her head off the couch and her feet on the cushions.

"That's a good idea. I forgot to tell you; SHROUD shorted out and broke last night." I stood up. "It's a good thing GRAVE's generator didn't blow or the entire city would have been leveled."

"You know, I don't like the idea of you running around with an unregistered antimatter reactor on your back," Raven stated.

"We both know it's the only way to get myself around. And while I'm not _powerless_ without SHROUD, it sure makes me feel a lot safer." I turned and went to the door. "Robin, I'm taking the T-ship to E's island. I'll ask Tylan about the whereabouts of Slade and the others, and while I'm at it, I'll see if E can fix my suit."

"Sounds good." Robin tossed me the keys to the T-ship. "See if you can get Tylan to fix that buzzing in the engine too; we don't have Cyborg around anymore…"

Everyone around the room bowed their head in silence at the memory of how their friend had been killed in the terrible incidents of four months before. His soul was locked inside the sword just as Slade's was, and while Raven had searched every book she owned for a way to perhaps restore him to his body, she had not found anything.

I turned to go to the garage. It was to be a long flight, and I wanted to get started.

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I approached the island that was E's residence and brought the T-ship down low. I landed it without a hitch, and climbed out of the cockpit to find Tylan standing on the landing pad waiting for me.

As I climbed down, I saw that he was now wearing a stylish black suit with white tie instead of customary t-shirt and jeans. He was grinning, as usual, and he extended his hand as he approached.

"How's my second favorite superhero?" he asked as I took his hand and shook. He turned and walked to the gate that would lead to the main complex.

"Not the best," I replied, truthfully. "I need to ask you and E a couple favors."

"Shoot."

"First, the T-ship has an annoying buzzing noise in the engine. It hasn't caused a problem yet, but I wanted to know if perhaps it would become a problem."

"No problem. That'll be a piece of cake to fix. What else?"

"Second, I need information about Slade's whereabouts."

He stopped and looked at me. "He's where he's been the past four months. With me, locked safely away in a vault with a triple-mutating algorithm lock. Nobody's getting in there. Maybe not even me."

"Okay, that's good."

"Tell me the story of why you want to know now. Tell me your third thing later."

"How did you know I needed three things?" I was mystified.

He tapped his temple. "I'm just smart like that."

"Whatever. Anyway…" I launched into the story for the second time. He listened intently as we continued through the corridors of the facility. I finished just as we arrived in E's tea room.

She dropped to the floor from her chair. "Ah, my _dear_ boy! You haven't had tea with me yet like you promised! Oh, it's a terrible shame, too, because I discovered the most _delicious_ brew! I know superhero business is consuming, believe me dear, I _know_, after all, I work with them on a regular basis, but _still…_"

"E! He's not here for tea!" Tylan interrupted her. "He's here for some help."

"Oh, well in that case, that boy over there…" she pointed at Tylan, "...is simply the most _fabulous _partner I could ask for! He has developed some simply _ingenious_ things over the past few months, and I'm sure I could never have come up with them myself. Of course," she said, pulling me aside, "he has the most _horrendous_ fashion sense! Simply absurd! He wants everything to be black or gray! Terrible, darling, simply TERRIBLE!" She shouted the last word.

"I can hear you, you know, E," Tylan said mildly. He turned to me. "It's true, though. I like black, but I'll admit here and now that I have _zero_ fashion sense." He grinned. "So I design the tech, and E makes it fashionable. An excellent arrangement, if I do say so myself."

I raised an eyebrow. "Remember who it was who set you up with that?"

"Of course I do! And I can't thank you enough! Which is why the repairs to your suit are free!"

"What the…?" Again, I was mystified. "How did you know?"

He drew himself up, and puffed on an imaginary pipe. "Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary." He laughed. "You're not wearing SHROUD. Instead, it's waiting in your ship, as if you were bringing it to the dry cleaners." He waved his hand. "Oh, don't be so surprised. We run energy scans on every craft coming into the island. We know exactly where GRAVE is. So what's the issue with it?"

I sighed, relieved that he wasn't really omniscient like he appeared to be. "Well, in that fight I told you about, something happened with the bio-circuitry that caused it to short out. The brain cells are dead, and so I can't activate either piece."

"Hmm… you know, the funny thing is, I was preparing something special for you in the case that this happened. Brain cells have to die eventually, even if they do belong to the great Edna Mode." He turned to her. "Can I show him the new item?"

She waved her hand. "Of course, of course! Run along, now, darling, and Tylan will show you his special project. He's been working on it for three weeks now, and I must say, aside from the fashion sense, it is simply _spectacular_." She smiled sweetly. "And don't forget, you must come over for tea sometime."

"Ok." That was all I said. I didn't really like tea anyway, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Shall we?" Tylan asked. He turned to go and we descended several flights of stairs.

We approached the titanium-clad door that marked the top-secret display room. I cringed. I was going to hate this part…

And I was not disappointed.

Tylan placed his palm on a scanner, typed in a password with the other hand, stuck his eye into a retina scanner, and then spoke clearly, "Tylan Contar…"

Immediately a dozen lazer cannons popped from the ceiling, every single one aimed at me.

"…and guest," he hastily added. The lasers retreated into the ceiling.

"Why does everyone always forget that part?" I asked despairingly.

"Sorry. It must be because it's very rare that we actually get a customer. At least, one who actually wants to see the merchandise in person."

"I suppose that's true…" I followed him into the room… and my eyes went wide. Everywhere were suits of every shape and color.

"Oh, don't bother with those. Those are simply concept models. Floor demos, if you will. I'm going to show you the finished prototype." He pulled a keycard from his pocket, and with it, he opened a large safe on the wall opposite the door. Inside was a single suit, which to my eyes looked to be a long-sleeved body stocking. And the suit was… surprise, surprise… black.

He gestured at it. "How do you like it?"

"Well, it's black, so I like it. But it won't exactly go with my current suit." I put my chin in my hand. "I do like the color, don't get me wrong, but white and black don't exactly go together with white on the outside."

"Well, that's why I designed two options," he stated. "On the one hand, I created an undersuit in white, in case you wanted to keep your current color. Or, I designed a new, black overcoat nearly identical to your old SHROUD coat. With a few improvements, of course."

"Of course. What kind of improvements?" I asked.

He grinned, his smile nearly splitting his face in half. "I was hoping you would ask." He took the sleeve of the black undersuit. "This undersuit is intended to be a strength enhancer and an additional layer of armor, should you need it." He ran his hand over the fabric. "This is Kevlar interwoven with psitanium."

"Wait, just a second. Raven told me about this stuff. It's what you used in your old armor, right?" I questioned.

He nodded. "Exactly. But here's the thing; rather than injecting you with it, although that would work too, I made it into what are essentially muscle fibers in the actual shirt."

"Explain."

He sighed. "Ok, when psitanium is subjected to electromagnetic energy, it creates a psionic field, and vice versa. So when you use psionic energy on it, it is highly pliable. So, by subjecting it to a psionic field such as you possess, you can influence its shape."

"So?"

"So this shape change can be used to create the same effect as muscles pulling on bones! It'd be like having an extra set of muscles that don't need body energy!"

"Is that how you were so strong in your armor?"

"Not exactly." He steepled his fingers. "Back then, I hadn't come up with the idea yet, and I also didn't have the technology to weave it into fabric. Instead, I put psitanium plates on the outside and manipulated them using sheer psionic force. Much less efficient, I assure you."

"I can imagine."

"So anyway, I installed new circuitry in the suit, so that rather than take focus and energy to manipulate human brain cells, which in turn control the suit, I just decided to skip the middle man, so to speak, and do a direct brain-to-suit link."

I frowned. "How does that work? I don't exactly have a chip in my brain, and I don't really want one."

He was unperturbed. "I figured as much, which is why I created a helmet for you that reads brain patterns. You'll have to configure it yourself, of course; my brain patterns would do different things than yours. This will "stimulate" the "muscles" of your undersuit and move them with just a thought. But I ran into a problem in development: the movement of the muscle wires outpaced the movement of the actual human muscles, so it frequently resulted in injury."

"Oh joy. I knew there had to be a catch." I rolled my eyes.

"I fixed it, however, by also building in a direct electrical stimulation system; the same system that reads your brain waves that result in muscle movement will not only trigger the muscle wires but also directly stimulate your muscles, completely bypassing your much slower nervous system. This could theoretically result in reflexes up to three times what you are normally capable of. It could probably surpass even your Illusion's capacity for reflex enhancement."

"Strange. But fascinating. Anything else?"

"I also constructed a system that would allow you to activate SHROUD or GRAVE by the same neural link. This, along with the increased strength in your legs, should enable you to leap up to one hundred feet vertically."

I wolf-whistled. That would be quite an improvement over the twenty-foot leaps I was accustomed to. I had to admit, the suit was quite an amazing piece of machinery.

He grinned. "There's more."

"More?" I gasped.

He nodded. "Yep." He led me to another safe, this one containing a black trench coat. "This is the updated SHROUD. I know E hates black, but I thought you might like a change. In any case, in addition to the normal polarized adamantium you already know and love, I added a couple of concealed flaps with those psitanium fibers in them as well, so your coat can take a number of shapes. Then, if polarized, it will hold that shape until depolarized. So you could, say, form bat wings and use them to glide if you wanted to. That's just one idea; the possibilities are literally endless."

I was already imagining the things I could use it for.

He frowned. "I was going to add a couple of other features two, including limited invisibility, but you came a bit sooner than expected. If you want, I could take your current SHROUD and fix it up with those extras."

"That would be great…" I said distantly. I still had my mind on all the things my new SHROUD could do… and it was black, like I'd wanted originally. I wondered how Raven would react.

As if he could read my mind, Tylan asked, "So, how is Raven? You guys getting along alright?"

That shook me out of my daydream. "Yeah, everything's great. She's great, I'm great, we're great."

He grinned again. "Spectacular! Tell her I said hi."

I looked at him again. "Say, you know how you made me that helmet?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Could you possibly fit that into a regular brimmed hat?"

"Like the one you already have? Sure, I guess. But I really like helmets."

I sighed. "I know you do. But it just wouldn't go with the whole trench coat theme. I do have fashion sense to think of, after all."

"I suppose. Well, I'll do that, and then you can be on your way. In the meantime, what are you doing for lunch?"

My stomach growled at the mere mention of the word. "Now that you mention it, I am kinda hungry…"

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And there it is, folks, the second chapter of the story! And, starting with this chapter, I am going to adopt a common practice of replying to reviews in my story!

_Criesblood__: Thanks, dear! I love you!_

_Phaethon: Yes, I did. If nothing else, people begin to wonder. And then they come and read your story. Yes, as you now know, he did get his butt kicked by Control Freak, and went to see E and __Tylan__. And thank you. I try to write Smith as well as I can._

That's all, until next chapter, at least!

::Ghostalker::


	3. Chapter 3 Accident

Ta-Da! Once again, I am here with another chapter! Mwahaha! PH34R 7h3 1337!

Ok, after that temporary lapse of sanity, I am here to present to you… drumroll please… chapter 3!!

This is a bit of a bizarre chapter. I hope this isn't too Gary-Stu for you. So ENJOY IT!!! NOW!!!

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I flew back to Titans Tower, my new black version of SHROUD tucked under the seat. I tried to keep my excitement under control. I was also intensely relieved, because Tylan had shown me the safe where Slade and the other thousands of souls were still locked up. Nothing was getting in or out of that. That, on top of the fact that I had an incredible new supersuit… I was stoked, to say the least.

I decided, however, to keep it all a secret until the first mission that came up. It would be a surprise, of sorts. I wondered again what Raven would think of the black. She was, after all, very fond of wearing black, and I knew she would never wear white again. Not after what had happened the first time. On the other hand, she wasn't real excited about change. I knew that much from painful experience.

Lost in my thoughts, I was back at the Tower before I knew it. I snapped out of my reverie long enough to land the T-ship in the hangar, and I slipped my new SHROUD from its place under the pilot seat.

"So…" I jumped and whirled around to find Raven. I smiled faintly. She continued, "you're finally back."

"Yeah." I moved to embrace her, and she didn't throw me off.

"How was it?" she asked.

"Well… it was… _interesting_." I shrugged. "I'll just leave it at that."

"How's Tylan?"

"He's really happy. He loves working with E, even though she criticizes his fashion sense." Raven laughed at that.

"He never really did have an eye for fashion."

"Yeah. But he did manage to… fix… SHROUD," I said, my tone practically screaming that I was hiding something.

"Oh really?" Her expression left me no doubt that she knew I wasn't telling her something. "So what's different about it?"

_Damn it, she knows._

I sighed and pulled the new, black SHROUD from under the seat and held it up in front of her. "What do you think?" I queried.

Her hand went to her chin and she thought for a moment before proclaiming. "It's black. I like it. It suits a wraith more." She looked back up at me. "Anything else he changed?"

_Man, she just won't let me get away with anything!_

"I was going to surprise you on our next mission, but since you've already seen it, I might as well. I pulled the undersuit out from beneath the trench coat. "He built me an undersuit that increases strength and reflexes. By a lot. And, he says he made SHROUD and GRAVE more reliable by removing the brain cells in the belt." I smiled. "So I should be able to better handle myself in a real battle. Even against someone like Slade."

Her eyes narrowed. "And what about Slade?" she pressed, her tone nearly fierce enough to frighten me.

I gulped. "Umm… he's safe and sound. Locked away in a safe nobody can get to."

"Nobody?" I was definitely frightened now.

"That's what Tylan said…" I muttered.

She calmed. "Well, that's good then."

I sighed in relief. "Yeah. Yeah it is."

All of a sudden, the alarm blared throughout the Tower. Robin burst into the garage/hangar, shouting "Trouble!" I cursed, realizing I was in no way ready to fight any kind of bad guy. Then I cursed again. I was becoming far too dependent on SHROUD and GRAVE.

"You guys go ahead. I have to change!" I shouted to Robin, then rushed back into the Tower. As Robin hopped on his bike, Starfire, Beast boy, and Raven took off into the air. I changed as fast as I could, then realized I'd had no chance to calibrate the new system. _Damn_.

I quickly ran it through a number of motions I wanted to have enhanced, and just as quickly linked up GRAVE to the neural scanners in my hat. I wouldn't be able to activate SHROUD, but hopefully with the other Titans there, I wouldn't need it. My quick fix would have to do.

I ran from the Tower, surprised to find myself moving twice as fast as usual. I leaped into the air, and was not disappointed by Tylan's estimate of a hundred-foot jump. _Not bad, not bad at all…_

Between my new strength and improved GRAVE system, I was actually able to arrive at the scene moments after the other Titans.

"Dude!" cried Beast boy. "I'm lovin' the new look!"

"Save it, Beast Boy," Robin snapped. "We need to focus on the bad guy."

I saw a familiar sight. A number of Slade-bots were robbing an electronics store, carrying out dozens of televisions. Cinderblock was there, too. And, surprise, surprise; behind them was Control Freak.

"Yes, my minions! More televisions! If I can steal all the televisions in the city, then everyone will have to watch what _I_ want to watch!" the fat nerd screamed in delight.

"Looks like you've gone off the deep end, Control Freak," Robin stated. "and we're gonna pull the plug on your little scheme."

"Never!" Control Freak shouted, then pointed at us. "Get them, minions!"

The entire army of Slade-bots came at us, firing lasers as they came. The others dodged them with ease, while Robin and I went after Cinderblock and Control Freak.

I landed in front of Cinderblock, and grinned a nasty, evil grin at him. "Remember me?" I cackled, my voice low and booming.

Cinderblock turned tail and ran.

Control Freak was, well, freaking. "Get back here, you lazy, good-for-nothing walking boulder!" he shouted at the fleeing henchman. He turned to face Robin who had his bo staff extended.

"You'll never take me alive!" he cried. He began to throw punches at Robin, each one extremely powerful but poorly executed, making him look like a flailing idiot. Robin managed to dodge all but one with casual grace, but one blow caught him under the chin, sending him sailing through the air, where Starfire caught him.

"Hey there, _freak_." I growled from behind him.

He whirled around, his eyes full of fear. "Don't come any closer! I mean it!" he whimpered.

"Hmm, where have I heard that before? Oh yes, I remember," my voice becoming cold and mocking, "back at the warehouse, wasn't it? Before you scored a lucky blow. Well, I can guarantee you that won't happen this time."

"Oh really? Just watch me!" he cried, then sprang at me.

It was very strange. One moment, I saw his punch aimed at my head, the next, my hand had caught his fist with no effort. He launched another at me, only to have it swatted aside. I threw him back, and he flew several meters before landing hard on his back side. He came at me again, this time, anger, not fear, propelling him. I dodged each blow as easily as if he were stuck in molasses, then I pulled back and punched him in the face.

His head flew back and I could hear the crack come from it. He keeled over backwards, his eyes wide, and blood pooling from his neck.

I looked on shocked, then glanced at my own fist, still clenched. "I… I…"

"What did you do?" This from Raven, as she ran up behind me. I didn't reply; my shock still had a hold of my body.

"Dude, you killed him!" shouted Beast Boy, his small frame quaking with nausea.

"I… I…" was all I could utter. _I didn't mean to! _I screamed mentally. _It was an accident, honest!_

Robin and Starfire landed. "Smith, what did you do?" demanded Robin. He gazed down at Control Freak's lifeless form. "You… you killed him!" he growled. "You know we never kill anyone. You didn't even kill Slade."

"I… I didn't mean to…" I forced the words out. "It was an accident, I swear!"

"Oh, right, because you just _accidentally_ kill people." Beast Boy's sarcastic tone was unmistakeable. "You killed him on purpose!"

"I didn't!" I searched the circle of disapproving faces looking for something, _anything_ other than the anger and rejection pouring out from them.

I caught a hint of sorrow in Raven's eyes, but it passed as quickly as it came. "I'll bet you wanted revenge for when he beat you, isn't that it?" spat Robin.

"No, no, honest, I wasn't trying to… I just meant to put him down…"

"Put him down, eh? So you WERE trying to kill him!" exclaimed Beast Boy.

"No, I…" I couldn't explain to them. No matter what I said, they could not get past the fact that I had just killed someone, even if he was a villain. I couldn't explain to them that I had nothing to do with it, that the new suit, improperly calibrated as it was, had caused me to over-attack.

"You know, Smith," Robin snarled. "I never really liked you. I thought you were trouble from the start, and the only thing that changed my mind and let you stay was the fact that Raven defended you." He pulled his face right up next to mine, which under any other circumstances would not be even the least bit frightening. But shaken as I was, I backed away from his furious stare. He continued. "I guess it just goes to show that even a 'reformed' villain can revert."

"Robin! That's enough!" Raven's words snapped Robin's head around, and he backed off, but not without giving me the evil eye.

"John…" Raven started, and I could see the pain in her eyes. "I hate to admit it, but Robin has a point. You killed him. And murder is punishable with death. We're going to have to take you to jail."

I hung my head. I had no choice. Justice was justice, and if I fought it more, I would just prove their point. I could try to escape, but that wasn't really an option. Oh sure, I wouldn't have any problem escaping, not with the new SHROUD, but I couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't hurt any of them in the process.

"Fine."

"But first," Robin commanded, "we're going to get you out of that suit."

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Aha! What shall happen now? He's going to jail… what's going to happen with him and Raven?

Oh dear. I detect a plot twist coming…

But you'll all have to wait for that.

In the meantime, I would like to publicly reply to my faithful reviewers!

_Criesblood__: Glad you liked it, dear. One of my greatest pleasures is writing for you._

_Phaethon: __I'm glad you liked the interaction, but I'm concerned about your accusation of Stu-__ness__. I don't see it, but if you do, could you point it out to me? I want to avoid it if at all possible. Thanks._

_Note: Phaethon, I see now where your concern comes from. Don't worry; the Stu-ness is for a reason; it develops the plot later. He won't be Stu for very long, you shall see. Thank you for your concern._

That's all! Until next time, this is….

::Ghostalker::


	4. Chapter 4 Jailbreak?

Woohoo! I am back, and this is a new chapter of Eventuality! At least, for all you who care.

I know you're all so eager to get on to the chapter (not!), but first, I'd like to say a few things.

First, I don't own the Teen Titans, or the main character, John Smith. He belongs to Phaethon, who has so graciously allowed me to write him. What an honor it is, too!

If by some random chance you haven't read Duality or Finality, you can click on my profile link and find them there. They are pretty good stories, even if I do say so myself, and they are essential to understanding this story.

That all being said, on with the chapter!!

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I sat alone.

I sat, not in a comfortable chair in some warm room in the Tower, but in a cold prison cell in Jump City Jail. Ironically enough, it had been the very cell that Slade had been kept in right before he escaped during my two-year leave.

My guards were not human; Robin knew what I could do to human minds, and so he had insisted that I be guarded by robots. I had abilities in areas other than Illusions, of course, but the only one that would have been of any use was pyrokinesis. I hadn't practiced it in months, and I wasn't sure if I could still remember how.

I no longer wore my new SHROUD; obviously, if I was being held prisoner, it wouldn't do to have me in a supersuit. Had I still worn it, I could have escaped without breaking a sweat.

But the first thing the Titans had done was have Raven put me into a deep Sleep. When I woke up, I was in nothing but my jeans and a white t-shirt.

I had spoken to Raven the day previous, but the robots had been there the entire time, Robin watching remotely.

"How are you holding up?" she had asked.

I had shrugged. "It's different. After being a hero so long, it's hard to imagine myself as a villain. But I guess that's what I am, at least for now."

She'd leaned in close, and I felt the distinctive touch of her mental presence. The words had echoed in my head, _I'll get you out of here. I'll help you escape._

_No._ I'd replied. _Bird Boy will know you helped me, and I don't want __your__ head on the block instead of mine. He's serious about this, and I have no doubt he'd at least kick you off the team, or maybe worse._

"What are we going to do?" she'd asked, nearly on the verge of tears.

I'd said nothing.

Realizing that Raven could have let me out as easily as making waffles, Robin had had psychic blockers installed in the walls of the cell. That way, she couldn't get in, and my powers couldn't affect anything outside the cell.

So I sat there, in the cell, awaiting my final verdict.

It came. I was to be executed. By the electric chair.

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_Hey. __Hey Smith._

I stirred, still drowsy. "Go away," I mumbled. "I'm not due for execution yet."

_Well, if you're just going to treat me like that, then I won't spring you out of here._

"Huh?" My fatigue vanished almost immediately, and I opened my eyes to find myself staring at…

Nothing.

"Who are you?" I questioned the dark cell.

A vision of Red X flashed briefly before my eyes before vanishing again. "Can't stay visible, or the robots will have my ass, man."

"Oh." That made some sense. What didn't, though, was how he'd gotten in. "There are psychic blockers on the cell…"

"Don't work on my teleporter. Gotta hand it to Bird Boy; he did a good job making this thing."

Realizing that the sound could carry outside, I quickly cast a Silencer inside the cell to completely dampen all sound to the outside.

"So what were you saying about springing me?" I looked around, still not exactly sure where X was.

"I've been paid. A lot. By someone you might call a friend. To get you out of here."

"Who?"

"For the sake of security, he'd rather not disclose his name right now. But you'll meet him eventually."

I thought for a second, accepted his explanation, then backed up. "Wait, wait, wait. If I just vanish, they'll think Raven did it somehow, and she'll catch the shit for this. I don't want her to get in trouble just for me."

"Oh? Would you rather die?"

"I'm not really sure…" I'd faced death before, but at the time, it was because there wasn't really another option. Now, I could just escape, and be free of death. I could hope that she wouldn't be arrested or kicked off the team. Or, I could face my death like a man, and die easy knowing she wouldn't be in trouble. I shivered. That option didn't sound good, either.

"Hang on, I'll be right back." A small "pop" filled the cell as X vanished.

I waited for about ten minutes, and then I heard another "pop" as he teleported back in.

"What was that all about?" I queried.

"I just went to talk to the guy who hired me. He has an idea. But you'll have to be a good actor."

"I'm decent; shoot." I folded my arms in expectation.

"All right. His plan is…" he paused for effect.

"Goddamn it, just tell me already!" I shouted in expectation.

"You're gonna have to die."

I stood, my mouth agape. "What?" I spluttered. "After all that, he's consigning me to the chair?"

"Not exactly."

"Explain that."

He sighed. "It's complicated, but from what I understood, there's a small window of opportunity after your heart stops where it can be restarted again and you'll live. You know, the whole shock-paddles thing. So the guy said he'll pull some strings, and when you go to the chair, the technician'll adjust the shock voltage so it won't kill you, just stop your heart. Then, the medical examiner and Bird Boy will think you're dead. Then my employer gets ahold of your body, shocks ya, and bang! You're back to life."

"That is complicated. And it sounds extremely risky." I couldn't keep the worry from my voice. "What's the window?"

"From what he tells me, three minutes tops."

I wolf-whistled. "That's cuttin' it pretty close."

"Do you have a better idea?"

It was my turn to sigh. "No. I just don't like the idea of putting my life in someone else's hands."

"What choice do you have?" he shot back.

"None."

"So, do you accept?"

I sighed again. "Yeah."

"Excellent," he said, "I'll go tell him."

He vanished again with a "crack."

I sat down on my cot, overwhelmed. I had just signed my own death warrant, in effect, and I had no idea why. I didn't even know who was trying to get me out, or why. The only comfort I derived from this crazy situation was that whoever was trying to do this probably wasn't trying to kill me. What would be the point of hiring Red X for ridiculous amounts of money if I was just going to die anyway?

I lay down and closed my eyes. It had definitely been a weird evening.

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And now, to reply to my faithful (two) reviewers!

_Criesblood__Yeah, it was hard to come up with a one-liner for Robin. I hate cheesy one-liners so __much,__ I had to get around a subconscious block just to write one. And yeah, it was a little Gary-Stu, but look at him now. He'll be lucky if he lives through something as mundane as an electric chair. And sorry for killing off one of your favorite villains; I just really find him annoying. And he fit the bill so I killed him. : ) __Oh, and I love you._

_Phaethon: Sorry, I don't love you, but it's nothing personal.__Anyway…__That is without doubt the longest review I have ever received. But it's good; your review is well balanced and extremely informative. And now that you mention it, it is quite a bit Gary Stu. But I put it there for a reason that will come later…__Sorry for all the Stu-__ness__ you had to put up with. I guess I tend to write that way, and I really need to work on not doing it. So now I'm just working it in, I guess. Thanks again for reading and reviewing; you're one of two who do._

Until next time (chapter, that is), this is…

::Ghostalker::


	5. Chapter 5 Awakening

Oh yay! New chapter! It's so shiny and fresh and cool-like! Enough of that, now. I must commence with the chapter!

Oh, and I don't own the Teen Titans, or John Smith, Phaethon's OC. Read his stuff, too. It's good.

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She stared at the little white strip. The signs were unmistakable. She'd been late for several days now, and now the test proved it.

_What am I going to do?_ she asked herself. _How did this happen? I can't be a mother…_

She hugged herself tight and started to cry, the various items in her room exploding one after the other.

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I sat in my cell, my awareness slipping away. I'd stayed awake all night, not sure when they were going to come for me to take me away to the chair.

I was ready. Not ready for death, you understand. I was ready to escape. I couldn't wait to get away from this dismal world that was slowly driving me mad with boredom.

I'd heard gruesome things about the chair. Like how some victims had their eyeballs literally popped from their sockets by the wildly contracting muscles in their body. How some had been over-shocked and had started to burn. I wasn't worried about these things; someone had pulled the strings to where I could actually "come back to life."

But I _was_ impatient.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the guards finally came for me. They wore psychic dampeners on their suits so I couldn't affect them. I shrugged inwardly; I didn't want to _fight_ them to escape. Instead, I was going to do what I did best: _illusions_.

It was slighty amusing how now, after having cheated death so many times, I was going to face it again, and use an illusion to escape it. It seemed fitting, somehow.

They took me to the room where the chair was, and I sat in it calmly. I could see Robin watching from outside through a glass pane; he wanted to see for himself that I was really dead. Beast Boy was there, but he was looking guilty, as if Robin had forced him to come when he really didn't want to.

I saw Raven nowhere, and while I was sad, at the same time I was relieved. I had no idea how hard this would be on her as it was; if she were there to watch my "execution," who knows what would have happened?

I sat in the chair, and they pulled the helmet down onto my head, firmly. My legs were held in place by steel bands; the electricity would enter through the helmet and exit through my leg, shooting several thousand volts straight through my heart. I began to sweat, and I wondered how this was actually going to work.

I didn't have much time to think, however, as the executioner began to read off my sentence. "John Smith, you are hereby ordered to be executed by electrocution, on this day…" I tuned him out and tried to relax. It would be over soon, at least, I hoped it would be.

The executioner finished his speech, and turned to me. "Do you have any last words?" he asked.

I smiled. "Yeah, just one. _Abracadabra_"

The man turned and left the room. I waited, my teeth clenched with anticipation and in hopes that I wouldn't scream with pain.

And then it happened.

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_Time seemed to stand still. Ok, that wasn't quite right: I could still see people moving, albeit very slowly. I hazarded a guess that my illusory powers were, in an attempt at self-preservation, slowing down time to increase my chances of survival._

_I smiled at this. I wasn't going to die. I was going to live again, so it didn't matter what happened. Besides, the straps holding me down were too tight to __allow any movement, so no amount of time dilation would help me now._

_I distinctly heard the hum of the electricity, felt the sweat pouring down my brow, __heard__ the muffled shouts, as from a distance, of the people outside the window, cheering for my execution._

_Wait._

_Why were they cheering?_

_I didn't have time to think about that as suddenly, the entire world was white. The pain lasted only a fraction of a second before I blacked out and felt nothing, knew nothing._

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I woke, a very bright light shining in my eyes. _Am I in heaven? _I wondered. _No… that would be far too cliché. I must be in a hospital._

I managed to open my eyes against the pain. I took in my surroundings: a pristine, clean white room. Completely empty except for my bed, a small table next to it, and a phone on top of the table.

I couldn't wrap my mind around the empty room for a few seconds. But that all swiftly went away as a figure walked in the door. His face was extremely familiar…

"Hey." Tylan strolled up to the side of the bed and looked down. "How ya doin'?"

I groaned as I sat up. "My head hurts like hell…" I muttered, "almost as bad as that time we fought Tierce."

I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw a shadow pass across his face. "I know what you mean," he said. "Other than that, though, how are you?"

"Holding up."

He turned to go. "Don't worry; you'll be recovered in a day or so. Nothing a young, strong guy like you can't handle, right?"

I snorted. "That's a good one. I'm an old man, and you know it."

He shrugged. "Maybe. But you should go to sleep. Get your strength back, and then we'll see if we can't do something about your current exile."

I nodded, sleep already overtaking me. My eyelids fell, and I was once again swallowed by darkness.

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Ah yes, the end of yet another chapter has come. This is a short one, but I didn't feel I could expand on the plot without making this chapter ridiculously long. So that's all you get.

And now, to respond to my ever-faithful reviewers:

_C__riesblood__: as much as I'd like to take credit for that escape plan, I can't. I stole it from Blood of Heaven by Bill Myers. You should read the trilogy; you might like it. And I could never love that Phaethon guy; he's a guy, after all. No offense or anything, Phaethon._

_Phaethon: No hard feelings, right? Thanks, I tried to remove the Stu-__ness__, and I hope I can keep it away from the upcoming chapters. I myself am still figuring out where I'm going to take this plot, so we're both in the dark! And yes, as you now know, __Tylan__ is employing X. __Or was.__ I mean, he's the kind of guy to help out a buddy, right?_

That's all for now! Thanks for reading, and until next chapter, this is…

::Ghostalker::


	6. Chapter 6 Watching

Tylan stood in front of the communications terminal, staring into the concerned face of Raven on the screen. He listened as she told him everything that had happened. His face hardened at times, and once he even winced, as if in pain, but he listened sympathetically.

"And so I'm pregnant…" she finished.

"What are you going to do?" he asked simply.

"I haven't told anyone yet, but I think Beast Boy suspects something. You're the only one who knows for sure…" she broke down sobbing. "… and John isn't here to tell. I'm sure he's the father, but now he's…" her sobs deepened and a few objects in the background detonated.

Tylan's face hardened again. Part of him wanted to tell her that John was alive, but he couldn't. Not yet. The time wasn't right. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice showing only the utmost concern.

"It's not your fault. It wasn't even his… I'm sure of it. But it's too late to change anything now. I should have gone to save him. That's more important than staying on the team."

"There was nothing you could do," Tylan soothed. "You did what you could, but I'd be willing to bet he told you he'd rather not have you get in trouble for it."

She nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. "Yeah. He did."

Tylan smiled gently. "Then you did what he wanted. He died happy knowing you were safe."

She sniffed. "I guess you're right. I'm going to go now. Can't have Robin walking in on me in this state…" She reached down to turn off the screen, but hesitated. "Bye, Tylan."

"Goodbye, Raven," he replied. Her face disappeared from the screen.

As soon as the monitor was off, he pounded his fist on the desk. He was so frustrated, having to keep secrets from everyone else. And on top of that, Raven's call had been like a punch in the gut, confirming what he secretly knew and feared. She and John had been… he shook his head to clear it of the thought.

He sat down in his chair and continued to watch his video monitors of the entire complex where he and E resided. It was his turn for security detail, and he was going to be awake for a long time…

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I awoke.

That's really all there was to it. I simply woke up.

I surveyed my surroundings, which, unusually, were different than before. Rather than a plain white room, I was in what was clearly a spare bedroom, never used.

I stretched out and flopped out of bed, dressing myself in my good old white t-shirt and jeans. It felt good being able to return to my roots. No dressings. No fancy gadgets. Just me and my illusions.

I walked around the hallways, searching for somebody to tell me what I was going to do next. After about an hour of wandering, during which I found many interesting things, I found Tylan in what appeared to be a monitoring room.

The neon glow of the television screens illuminated his face, so I noticed the high contrast of the dark rings around his eyes. When he turned and saw me, he yawned and stood up.

"So… how's it going?" he asked, obviously on the verge of exhaustion.

"I slept well. But you obviously didn't." I pointed at the monitors. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

He chuckled. "Oh. That. Yes. Um, well, it's my video monitoring system."

"I figured that much out. What are you watching?"

He shrugged. "Well, most of the cameras are installed on the island so I can monitor security. But I have a few in Jump City so I can get a general idea of the situation there."

"That's how you knew." It wasn't a question, but a statement. I knew he had been watching. How else would he have known everything?

"Yeah." He rubbed his eyes and stretched. "I saw the whole fight. You, Control Freak, everything."

"So you know about that? You do know I didn't do it on purpose, didn't you?"

He nodded. "I figured. You're just not that type of guy anymore. So I figured it had something to do with the new SHROUD. You didn't take the time to calibrate it, did you?"

"I tried!" I protested loudly. Then I looked down. "I'll admit that I didn't take as much as was probably necessary. But I definitely didn't do it on purpose."

"I know." He yawned again. "Hey, could you take my spot for about twenty minutes? I need to sleep."

"Sure. What do I look for?"

Tylan pointed to a monitor bank on the left. "That bank monitors the few areas of Jump City I have covered. The bank over there," he pointed to the right, "is island security. If you see anyone suspicious entering or leaving, just come wake me up, alright?"

"No problem. You go get some sleep." I encouraged.

"Thanks." He yawned again, and I could tell he was about to fall asleep right then and there. He turned to go. "I'm goin' now."

I turned to the monitors on the left. I sat down and watched them, waiting, just waiting…

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Hours passed, and I didn't notice. I was watching, waiting for _her._

Finally, just as I looked at the clock and noticed that indeed six hours had passed, I heard a commotion on monitor 17. I looked in its direction, and sure enough, I saw the Titans arriving on the scene of a bank heist. The robbers were determined to get away, but not as determined as Robin was to bring them to justice. I sighed. As much as the kid annoyed me, he was only trying to bring justice to the city. He probably learned his over-exuberance from Batman.

I noticed Raven hanging back, not attacking. I saw her project a few shields in front of her other three teammates, protecting them from gunshots, but aside from that she stayed behind all of them, as if unsure of herself. I wondered what it might have to do with, but pushed the thought aside as a new figure appeared on the screen.

I rubbed my eyes, sure that my hours of staring at blank screens had caused them to blur and play tricks on me. But when I removed my furious fists, I saw that this was indeed no illusion.

It was Slade.

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I took off from the monitor room, running as fast as my feet would take me, to where I hoped Tylan was still sleeping. But when I skidded to a stop in front of what I assumed to be his room, he wasn't there. In his place was the burning wreckage of what had undoubtedly been his bed. I sprinted back to the monitor room, wondering what I was going to do. One of the security monitors on the right side, number 29, was blank. I began to get a cold feeling in my gut.

After running the halls for several minutes, I finally found the passageway to the vault. I didn't need to worry about getting through security; the foot-thick titanium door was melted into a puddle of slag on the floor. The laser cannons that were supposed to defend the room were similarly ruined. I rushed into the room and found the security camera in ashes. This was undoubtedly number 29.

I found Tylan on the floor, badly burned and nearly unconscious. The vault door was completely blown off, but the sword was still there.

"What's going on?" I asked Tylan. He looked up, and he whispered, "He escaped… I don't know how, but he escaped…"

"Who? Who escaped?" I demanded, already knowing and fearing the answer.

"All of them. Every last one. The blade is empty now. He took them all…" He slumped down, unconscious.

My insides went cold. I knew who he was talking about. And I had to get some assistance. I had to warn the Titans, no matter how much they might not believe I was alive.

But then again, I thought, why warn them? Raven was the only one I cared about. The rest could spend their days fighting Slade for all I cared. I'd take him down myself, just like I had so long ago. _But this time, I won't need trickery or cowardice. I can take him down by myself._

I headed to the vault where my white SHROUD lay hanging innocuously. I smiled to myself. This one would do until I got my replacement. And maybe it had that invisibility capability Tylan had spoken about.

I grabbed it, wishing vaguely that I had GRAVE with me, and sprinted for the door. I took Tylan's jetbike, hoping he wouldn't mind, especially as I was going to retrieve his most prized work.

I grinned wickedly to myself. _Here I come, Slade. You can't hide from me, and this time, I'll __beat__ you face to face, hand to hand._

_It's time for some payback._

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So, how was it? I thought it was ok. Kind of a filler chapter, mostly, but it sets some stuff up later. The next bit will be pretty cool, methinks. So, now to the review replies!

_Criesblood_ _I sure hope the events will be interesting. At least, I'm trying to make them that way. Rivers!_

_Phaethon: I'm glad __there's no hard feelings__. As for removing the __stuness__, well, I really tried, but I'm afraid there might be a little up ahead. Not much, and again, it's for a purpose, but it still might be there. __Just a warning.__ And thanks. I think the reason I write JS so well is because I really identify with him. We're a lot alike, which is part of the reason I liked your story so much in the first place. As for cheering, well, it's just showing that the public opinion is against him. He's the __badguy__ now, at least in the eyes of the people of Jump City. That's important in the next __chapter. And Raven's pregnancy will play an important role too. I just wish I could divulge everything, but I hate giving away the ending. Besides, it wouldn't be as much fun that way! So you'll just have to wait, I guess._


	7. Chapter 7 Infiltration

Ah yes, after a long hiatus, I, the great and mighty Ghostalker, have returned to give you yet another chapter in the Eventuality installment.

Yes, it has been a while. And, due to certain issues with the people governing my server, I am unable to post or read as often as I'd like. Never fear, though, as I will be updating somehow whenever I actually write something. So, without any further ado whatsoever, here is the next chapter of the story!

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I approached the Tower with the utmost caution.

After a six-hour flight by jetbike, I'd landed in a cow pasture outside Jump City. I'd seen a couple of UFO's hanging around, but they were simply stealing cows, so I figured they weren't a threat.

I hated that I had no control over my SHROUD. Something I'd forgotten about was the fact that the belt still hadn't been fixed. My old SHROUD was little more than a trench coat until I retrieved my newer one.

That's why I needed it. Normally, I'd have just gone out and kicked some ass with the white coat, forgetting about the black one entirely. But the black one was the only one that worked, and I knew that in my present condition, there was no way I could take on Slade. The fear gas trick wouldn't work again.

So here I was, _swimming_ of all things, in Jump City bay, toward the Teen Titans' Tower.

_Ironic, really_, I thought. _Here I am, having come full circle. First a villain breaking in, then a hero living __inside,__ and now I'm breaking in again. _

_You can take the guy out of the badness, but you can't take the badness out of the guy._

_Ok, that was pretty cliché._

I shook my head to ward off further tired expressions, and focused on holding my breath. I wanted to stay invisible as long as possible, and this required swimming underwater. I had no scuba gear, an oversight that still had me kicking myself mentally. So, even though it was slow, I came up for a gasp of air, then immediately plunged back underwater, hoping that Aqualad was still on the East Coast where he lived.

_If that fish-loving pretty-boy is anywhere around here, __things'll__ get messy. And I'd hate to have to mar that pretty little sniveling face._

I marveled at the change in my behavior, my thoughts. It was as if, ever since I'd seen Slade on the video cameras, Smith, my inner villain, was breaking out, showing through.

I smirked. Smith wasn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, he'd kept me alive on many occasions when Wraith, the hero, just wouldn't have been able to hack it.

I came up for another breath, and noted my position relative to the Tower. _Only another hundred yards…_ I dove back into the water and continued to paddle myself closer to the home of my beloved Raven.

T T T T T T T T T T

I pulled myself out of the water as silently as I could, and crept up to the main door. I pulled my PDA from its waterproof pouch, praying to whatever gods there were that I still had Gizmo's hacking program on it.

After about three minutes of frantic searching, I finally found it. I plugged the PDA directly into the terminal at the gate, and let the program run its course.

After about ten seconds, the door chimed and slid open. I dashed inside, sliding the door silently shut behind me.

The darkness of the main lobby was thick. _Tangible,_ even. I crept to the elevator, opened it, and rocketed up to the Titans' main room.

As I emerged, I was hit by a wave of… _sadness_? So many memories in this particular room. Granted, most of them were of crime fighting, but each one had her in it.

I shook my head to clear the thoughts away and headed for Robin's evidence room. I knew if there was anywhere he'd have kept my SHROUD, he'd have the key in there.

As I approached, I felt a mental presence inside the room and I quickly melted into the shadows. Robin was _still_ in there, even in the early hours of the morning. I cursed his diligence and sat fuming, racking my brain for an idea.

I finally decided on a simple approach. I broke into Robin's mind—not hard as he was extremely tired—and urged him to sleep. I could feel the exhaustion rise up from his body to overwhelm his mind, and he promptly collapsed on his desk, snoring like a baby.

I swept into the room and searched it up and down. I could find nothing, which meant that Robin must keep the key on his person. I took his utility belt with me as I sped down the hall toward where I knew Robin kept everything he considered extremely dangerous. Where he, in fact, had once kept a similar supersuit that was stolen by an outsider.

_How fitting._

I reached the blank stretch of wall behind which the secret passageway was located, and I pressed my palm onto the hidden biometrics pad to the side. It _swooshed_ open; Robin must not have had the time to re-adjust the locks after my "death," particularly with Slade on the loose again. For once, I had Slade to thank for something.

I ran full-tilt down the hallway, and reached the safe door. I rifled through the pouches on Robin's belt until I found a key-card, and I slid it into the appropriate slot. I heard bolts grind and shift and finally, the door popped open.

The sight that met my eyes left me shocked. Not one, but _two _suits were on special racks inside the safe. On the left was my black SHROUD, still looking brand new. But to the right was a suit of dark gray metallic armor with a helmet that looked eerily familiar…

It was Tylan's old suit.

I shrugged. I could take it with me, but I was originally planning to trade my black SHROUD for the white one I was wearing. If I took the other suit, it would mean more dead weight and a possible security notification: where two suits should have been, only one was. _That_ would be sure to set off Bird Boy's alarms.

A smirk spread across my face. I was tempted, oh so tempted. But I figured it was best to lay low, just for now. I turned to go, leaving silently the way I'd come.

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There, how do you like it? Again, a filler chapter, and it's kind of short, but you need these kinds of chapters to set up for the big stuff later on.

To the two people who read this story and actually give a crap: thanks. I mean, I wouldn't write this at all if it weren't for you guys. So thanks again.


	8. Chapter 8 Rescue

Wow, it has been a while!

Yes, it is true. I, the incredibly good-looking (and humble) Ghostalker, have returned to give you yet another chapter in my awesome story, Eventuality.

I don't own the Teen Titans. I don't own John Smith. He belongs to Phaethon. Speaking of whom, anyone else reading this should go read his stories Smoke and Mirrors and Wraiths and Hauntings. They're both fantastic.

Anywho, this is the next chapter. Let's get this show on the road!

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Robin awoke in his evidence/investigation room, his face stuck to a newspaper. After hastily removing the offending piece of newsprint, he stood and returned to his room. He showered quickly and dressed once again in his uniform.

He was hit by a huge sense of wrong as he walked down the hall towards the main room and the kitchen, but he couldn't quite place it. He dismissed it as his concern with Slade's recent re-appearance, and began to make some waffles.

T T T T T T T T

Raven awoke in her room, having slept dreamlessly. She couldn't understand why Slade was back; he was supposed to be trapped inside Tierce's soul-eating blade, which was supposed to be under guard by Tylan. So how had Slade escaped?

She dressed in her uniform and walked into the hallway, only to be hit by an enormous sense of déjà vu. She stood for a moment, attempting to place where and when she had felt this way before, but nothing came to her. She decided to extend her psychic presence throughout the tower in order to better understand what had happened. She felt fear. Excitement. Vengeance. A hint of malevolence. _Was Slade here?_

_No, it wasn't Slade. It's not his aura, and he'd have killed us all in our sleep if he were actually here._

She gasped. It was _Tierce_! He'd been here, and hadn't killed them. But how had he gotten out? How had he gotten in? Why didn't he destroy them all? The questions swirled through her mind as she raced down the hall towards Robin's room.

He wasn't there. _He must be making breakfast_, she thought. She sprinted to the kitchen and found Robin making waffles.

"Whoa! Raven, what's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

She caught her breath before speaking. "Just about. Tierce was here. Last night."



Robin's eyes narrowed. "No way! He couldn't have been here! The alarms would have gone off, and even if they hadn't, he'd have killed us all!" He then paused. "Wait, wasn't Tylan supposed to be watching him?"

"That's just it; he was! I talked to him yesterday, before we encountered Slade. There must have been some kind of disaster, where someone broke in and released all the evil souls from that sword."

Robin turned to the hallway. "I'm going to wake everyone up. We have to go find Tylan and figure out what's going on. Fire up the T-ship, please."

"Will do." She made her way to the hangar, and no sooner had she finished the pre-launch checklist than the three other Titans emerged from the main section of the Tower. "All right," Robin said, "We're not really sure where E's island is. So we'll have to split up…" he paused as Raven punched up the navigation records. "Oh. Of course. Smith went there earlier…" He didn't say "…before he died." He knew Raven was still heartbroken about it and didn't want to cause any unneeded unrest in the team.

They burst from the hangar and roared off into the morning sky.

T T T T T T T T T T T T

Some hours later, they arrived at the small volcanic island, only to be shocked at what they saw. Several large columns of smoke rose from the installation, and what they could see was clearly in ruins. It was definitely the result of a massive attack of some kind.

As the team went sifting through the wreckage, Beast Boy found a hatch leading down to the subterranean levels of the building, which were, for the most part, intact. They split up in order to locate any survivors, and it was Starfire who eventually found Tylan in the incinerated hallway, barely conscious; indeed, barely alive.

She called her teammates on the radio. "Friends, I do believe I have located a survivor; it is none other than friend Tylan. He appears to be badly hurt, and so I recommend we get him to a medical care facility as soon as is possible."

"Good job, Starfire," Robin replied, and she blushed crimson. "Get him up to the T-ship; we'll take him back to the tower."

A few minutes later, Starfire emerged from the building with Tylan in her arms. She was soon joined by the rest of the team, who jumped into the T-ship.

Suddenly, Tylan stopped breathing.



"Tylan!" Raven cried, afraid that she would lose another close friend in such a short time. She turned to Starfire. "Star, give him to me. I'll see what I can do about healing him on the way back.

Starfire obliged, and Raven carried Tylan up to the rear of the T-ship, where she immediately set about trying to restore his consciousness. While the aircraft zoomed back toward the west coast of the United States, Raven managed to get Tylan breathing again, stabilize his heart rate, and put him, rather forcefully, into a healing trance. The remainder of the trip was spent looking into his peaceful face. _You'll make it, Tylan. You have to. You've been through worse, and if you die again… you're the only love I have left. It would break my heart to lose John and you both._

T T T T T T T T T T

Once back in the Tower, Tylan was transferred to the medical ward. Beast Boy volunteered to watch him, so that everyone else could get some sleep. As much as she wanted to stay, Raven acquiesced, knowing that she definitely needed the sleep after all the energy she'd had to expend while healing Tylan.

A few hours later, Beast Boy knocked on her door. She opened it, but no sooner had she done so then Beast Boy spoke. "Sorry to wake you, Rae, but he just woke up and he wants to talk to you. He was insistent."

She was awake in an instant, and she followed Beast Boy down to the medical ward, where she saw Tylan, still lying down but with eyes open.

"I'll leave you two alone," said Beast Boy, but there was no teasing in his voice this time. He sensed the seriousness in the air as if it were a scent, and he exited the room quietly.

"Hey Raven," Tylan rasped. He attempted a smile, which didn't quite make it.

"Hi." It was indeed an awkward moment, mirroring one the two had had about a year and a half earlier.

"I have something very important to tell you, before I lose consciousness again," he explained. "I'm fighting for it right now, and I'm not sure if I'll wake up again, so you need to know now. You have to know."

"What is it?" She was trying to keep the emotion out of her voice, though she was sure he could sense her distress anyway.

"John…" he took a deep breath. "…John is alive. He was with me when I was attacked. And… I have Cyborg."

"How…?" Raven began to ask, but he stopped her. "I have his mind inside mine. If you still have his body, you can take him from me, and transfer him back. He should still be okay, even 

though it had to be pretty traumatic in there." He shuddered, then lay back and closed his eyes. "Good night, Raven…" Then he was still.

The heart monitors continued to beep, so she breathed a sigh of relief. She went to find Beast Boy and tell him the news.

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And there it is, folks, yet another chapter of Eventuality. Sorry it took so long, but a number of factors contributed to its tardiness, including but not limited to: graduation, school work, and most importantly, writer's block. Hopefully the story should flow a little better now that the block is gone (at least, for now). I hope to have another chapter up in a month or so. Until then, you know what to do. Review, review, review!

And I have to thank the faithful two readers: Phaethon and criesblood. Without them, I'd have no reason to continue writing this story, so thanks to both of you. Your encouragement (and in some cases, criticism) are what keep me writing. So thank you again.


	9. Chapter 9 Reunion

Well, it's been a little longer than a month, but I am back with the latest chapter in Eventuality! Rejoice! For your wait is over! No longer will the story be filled with boring filler! Nay, this chapter will be filled with action and excitement! So, without any further ado, I… oh wait. I don't own the Teen Titans or John Smith. The former belongs to DC Comics, and the latter belongs to Phaethon, who has graciously allowed me to use his OC. And so now, I present to you chapter 9 of Eventuality!

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"No!" Robin shouted. "He's wrong! I saw Smith die!"

The Titans had gathered in the main room to discuss Tylan's most recent revelations.

"Dude, he was right about everything else! He was right about Tierce! And Raven says Cyborg is somewhere in his mind, so why would he be wrong about John?" Beast Boy burst out.

"You saw it too, Beast Boy! Don't forget that! You were there!"

"Please, friends. This argument is upsetting friend Raven!" Starfire squealed. She pointed to Raven, who was sitting off in a corner, trying her very hardest not to let her emotions leak out.

At once, the two were silenced.

"Listen," Raven said with deadly calm. "I have been in his mind. Cyborg _is_ in there. I felt Tierce's presence yesterday in the tower, and Slade is now free. He wasn't wrong about those things, and what's more, I knew he wasn't lying. I can tell these things."

"I'm not saying he's lying, Rae," Robin started. He stuttered after catching her glare. "Sorry, Raven. I'm not saying he's lying, but in his current mental and physical condition, he may have… _imagined_ some things that aren't true."

"Well, regardless of whether he's imagined it or not, we still have a few problems to deal with. We still have to get Cyborg back. We still have to track down Slade and find out what he's up to. And we have to find out how and why Tierce escaped, and more importantly, why he didn't kill us all in our sleep." Raven folded her arms and sat down on the couch.

"Dude, all I'm saying is this: we've seen that death isn't necessarily the end for everyone. Take Tylan for example! He was definitely dead, and yet here he is, alive and well! Well, mostly," Beast Boy added. "My point is, just because we saw John die, doesn't mean he's still… _dead_.

"Beast Boy makes an excellent point," Starfire stated. "Friend Tylan was indeed most dead. He had, as you earthlings say, 'purchased the plantation.'"

"You mean 'bought the farm,' Star," Robin replied absentmindedly. Starfire gave a small "oh!"

"Starfire's still right," Raven interjected. "Tylan was dead and then came back, albeit for a purpose. And while the circumstances of his death were unusual, we can't assume that the same couldn't have happened to John." Her composure was holding well, well enough, at least, to keep her from accidentally destroying half the room.

Robin sighed. "Fine. Let's assume Tylan is right. What happens next? What is Smith back for? Why isn't he here? What is he doing right now? Is he on our side still or not? These are questions that…"

Raven glared at him. "Allow me to answer those for you, in order. We find John. I don't know, but I intend to find out. He's probably hiding from you, as you did kill him." Robin winced at that accusation, but Raven continued, "Like I said, he's probably holed up somewhere, just surviving. And as for whether or not he's still on our side… I'd like to believe he is, but I wouldn't blame him if he decided not to be. You didn't exactly give the Titans a fantastic image with your execution stunt."

Robin gulped, tugged at his collar, then cleared his throat. "Fine, then. We find John. But first, we have to get our friend back. Raven, I need you to find a way to extract Cyborg's soul from Tylan."

"Yes, sir." Raven gave him a sarcastic salute then headed for the infirmary. Robin heaved a sigh then slumped onto the couch.

"If I'd know that running the Titans would be this much work, I might not have signed up for it…" he mused.

Starfire floated next to him and gave him a gentle hug. "Please, Robin, do not say such things. It is only because of you that I found a home and many friends here… and, of course, I found you."

Beast Boy chuckled softly and turned to leave the room. "I'll leave you two alone…"

T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T

An hour later, Raven walked into the main room and called Robin. "The extraction process is almost complete. All I need now is Cyborg's body. Where did you put it?"

Robin jumped up from the sofa, surprising the sleeping Starfire whose head had just been in his lap. "I placed it in the storage vault. Let's go."

He ran down the hall toward a hidden panel, which he swiped his palm over. The door hissed open, and he approached the cryo-tube which held his friend's body.

Some time later, Cyborg's body was in the bed next to Tylan's, and Raven was standing between them, a hand on each man's forehead.

As she chanted some words from the spell book in front of her, both bodies began to glow. A blue cloud seemed to emanate from Tylan, traveling up Raven's arm and across her body to her other arm, down into Cyborg's head.

After a few minutes, the glow faded, and Raven stood. "It's done," she said to the waiting room of Titans.

"Friend Cyborg is back?" Starfire asked.

"Then why isn't he moving?" cried Beast Boy.

"What's going on, Raven?" Robin queried.

Raven paused and looked down at the still-motionless Cyborg. "I… I don't know. He's alive, I can tell that much, but…"

Tylan chose this moment to wake up. He blinked, groaned, then sat up. "Hey, what's going on? Why is everyone here? Oh," he said, glancing at the bed next to him and the immobile Cyborg. "Did it work, Raven?" he asked.

"I think so, he's alive, and he's in there, but he's not moving," she replied. "I'm going in there to find out what's going on."

She chanted her mantra, and her soul-self left her body and plunged into Cyborg.

Everyone waited with bated breath for three minutes.

Suddenly, Raven gasped as her astral self returned.

"Well?" four voices chorused.

"How to explain this… he used a lot of techno-babble, but the main gist of it was that his systems shut down irreparably when he died. So the human part of him is alive, but the machine can't function yet."

"Why?" Beast Boy wondered aloud.

"I asked him the same thing, and apparently he said it was for security purposes; that way, if he died, no one would be able to use his body. I guess he never planned on coming back from the dead."

"Do any of us?" Robin asked rhetorically before shaking his head. "Cyborg, I wish I could say 'good job', but your cautiousness is a huge problem right now."

"And the only person qualified to fix Cyborg is himself!" chimed Starfire.

"Nah." The startled Titans looked over at the other bed to see Tylan removing himself from it. "It shouldn't be that hard to do. I could probably fix him up in a few hours."

The Titans' jaws dropped.

He looked at them. "What? If I can build high-tech stuff for E, then Cyborg's systems should be a piece of cake."

Robin nodded. "All right then. You get started on Cyborg. If you need anything in the way of parts or assistance, just let us know. In the meantime, we'll be tracking Smith."

"Oh, that shouldn't be so hard either." Tylan said without looking up from his scrutiny of Cyborg's machinery. "He'll be wherever Slade is. He knows Slade is out and he wants revenge for his leg, if for nothing else."

Raven interrupted Robin before he could speak. "Thanks, Tylan. We'll keep an eye out for Slade." She led the Titans from the room to leave Tylan to his tinkering.

T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T

Two and a half hours later, Tylan emerged, covered in sweat and oil. "He's ready," he called, "all he needs is a good recharging. I'll need your help to move him back to his room."

Starfire accompanied Tylan back to the room, and single-handedly carried Cyborg back to his re-charging bed, which was dusty from disuse. After a couple of minutes, Cyborg was plugged back in and his systems showed normal, and he opened his eyes for the first time in half a year.

"Wassup y'all?" Cyborg asked in a raspy voice. He cleared his throat and tried again, so loud the duo winced "WASSUP, Y'ALL?!"

"Uh… Cyborg… you're a little loud…" Tylan said.

Cyborg's eyes widened. "So you're really not dead! I thought you were in that terrible place with me! I didn't know you had a body!"

"Wha… oh yeah. You were kinda dead for that whole thing, weren't you?" Tylan realized. He straightened. "I fixed your systems crash, and all you should need now is a recharge. Although, since it's _your_ body, I'd recommend you run some diagnostics and repair programs while you juice up."

"Thanks again, man. I wouldn't want _Gizmo_ to have to fix me again." He shuddered at the memory of the virus that had taken him over a few years before. "Who knows what kind of crap he'd have put in me."

Starfire, who had remained silent until that point, spoke up. "Cyborg, I am eager to ask you many questions, and I also wish to express my utmost gladness that you are alive. However, as friend Tylan says, you must rest."

At that moment, the red lights began to flash and the siren went off. Cyborg made to get up from his bed, but Starfire pushed him back down gently. "Please, Cyborg. I trust friend Tylan in his assessment; you are in no condition to fight. The four of us will handle the problem. Tylan will stay here with you." She left the room.

Tylan pulled a chair from a spare room and sat down next to Cyborg, who looked forlorn. "Oh cheer up, big guy! They've managed so far without you; they'll be fine for a few more hours. They missed you terribly, though," he added, seeing that his comment wasn't exactly warming Cyborg's heart. "They tried _everything_. I tried everything. I had no powers left, though, so I was limited to technological stuff, which didn't work so well, and Raven couldn't find anything in her spell books. Nobody ever gave up on you, man."

Cyborg laid back and sighed. "That's good to know. But I can't just sit here; I want to go help them!"

Tylan grinned his trademark face-splitting grin. "I know, man, I know. It sucks being on the outside. Welcome to my world. Trust me, the best thing you can do right now is get up to a hundred percent."

Cyborg nodded. "All right. So… bring me up to date on everything that's happened while I've been gone."

Tylan chuckled. "Boy, you'll be done charging before I'm done telling, but I'll try to make it short…"

T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T

The four other Titans met in the main room, where a large "S" was blinking on the main screen. "Slade's on the loose," Robin said. "And I bet Smith's close behind him. Let's go, team." The four heroes left to the scene of the crime.

I smiled from my hiding place in the ceiling work. Nobody had ever thought to look for me here. That made it the perfect place to hide. But Robin was right; where Slade was, there I would go also. And thanks to my newly improved SHROUD, I would get there minutes before them. Hopefully, minutes would be all I needed.

I crawled through a maintenance hatch to the roof of the Tower, and leapt off the roof into the night.

T T T T T T

When I got there, Slade was up to his usual shenanigans; stealing some high-tech stuff for who-knew-what. I smirked as Slade glanced up at me from his work.

"Well, well, well, Smith. I must say I'm slightly surprised to see you here. After all, word on the street is you were executed by Robin. Obviously, he didn't do the best job."

"Obviously not, _Slade_," I hissed, not willing to tell him the whole story. "I'm here to take you out."

"Oh?" He seemed unconcerned. "First, I'm wondering why. I mean, you're not exactly the hero in the people's eyes, even if they knew you were alive. Second, how exactly do you think you're going to, how did you put it, 'take me out'? The last time we met, you had a powerful entity on your side, and the time before that, you got lucky with some trickery." He studied my hands. "I see no fear gas in your hands. In fact, nothing about you has changed except your look. And if I recall, you should still have a bum leg."

"It doesn't matter." I wasn't about to tell him the full extent of my improvements. "What matters is that I'm here, now, and ready to kick your ass."

"Well then, bring it on," Slade said, pulling his staff and extending it fully before assuming a ready stance.

I smirked again and waded in.

My blows were lightning-fast, and hit like an out-of-control freight train. To Slade's credit, he managed to block most of them with a few quick rotations of his staff, but then I caught it and snapped it in half. His eyes widened.

"Impressive…" he drawled as he ducked a roundhouse swing before sweeping my feet out from under me. "But though you may be stronger, I'm still be…."

I was on my feet faster than he could blink and had hit him square in the face before he could finish his sentence. He flew back several feet, eyeing me warily. "You're faster than before," he remarked.

"Yeah." My martial arts training was finally coming in handy against the psychotic villain. Before, my style, Viper, was ineffective against someone as strong as Slade; my quick striking blows weren't enough to debilitate him in the two- or three-strike chains I employed. Now, however, my strength was equal to his, so I could for once take him head-on, no Illusions, no tricks.

I dashed in, my suit lending me superhuman foot-speed in addition to incredible reflexes, and dodged his counterattack neatly before spinning into an impressive roundhouse kick that caught him under the jaw. I leapt into the air to follow him, and landed a double hammer fist on his solar plexus, knocking the air out of him while simultaneously hurling him into the ground.

I landed lightly, and looked down at the heaving Slade. "I told you." I kicked him in the head, sending him to the world of unconsciousness.

Just then, an explosion behind me caught my attention. Four silhouettes were framed in the flames still flickering, and I knew exactly what I was up against.

"Well, Titans. I suppose you thought you would catch Slade here. I wonder if you knew I'd be here…" I turned to fully face them and pulled my hat off, expecting to see Robin's stunned face.

Instead, he had his arms folded, glaring at me. "Actually, we figured you'd follow Slade. That's part of the reason we're here."

I was the stunned one. "But… but how? Aren't you surprised? Aren't…"

He snorted. "We might have been, had Tylan not told Raven you were still alive."

I fumed. Tylan, though a well-meaning guy, had stolen my thunder out of concern for Raven. I shook my head. Sometimes he was too nice for his own good.

"I still have a score to settle with you, Bird Brain." I started toward him, my eyes now glowing green from an Illusion I was now quite accustomed to using. "You're gonna regret killing me."

Robin reached for his belt, but before anyone could do anything, Raven stepped out and stood in front of me.

"John…" she whispered, and I could see the tears itching to slip out. She held them back, though. "I thought you were dead, but now, seeing what you've become… I feel like the you I knew really _is _dead. You don't have to do this."

I glared down at her. "My fight isn't with you, Raven. Just stay out of this."

She stared back up at me. "If your fight is with them, it's with me, too."

I shook my head, furious. "No! You didn't do this. _He_ did!" I jerked my head over her shoulder at Robin, who stood, trying not to show his fear, in a combat stance. "I'm going to make him pay!"

"No, John!" she screamed, then paused for a second to collect herself. "I don't want to do this, but if you try to hurt him, I'll have to arrest you."

"So what?" I growled. "This… _perverter of justice_ is more important to you than I am?"

"No!" she cried. "But it doesn't have to be one or the other. We can work this out."

"We left that stage a long, long time ago," I muttered. "Nothing can be worked out. The only thing I can promise is that I will try my best not to kill him, which is more than can be said for him."

"You've left me no choice, John," she said, deeply saddened. "Azarath, Metrion…"

"No. You've left me no choice," I replied, and placed a Conviction in her mind, an Illusion that convinced her subconscious mind that her powers no longer worked.

The white glow faded from her eyes, and she looked up at me, confused.

"I can't have you interfering," I said simply, then struck her with an Immobilizer. She fell, limply, into my arms. I set her gently off to the side, then turned to face Robin and the other two Titans.

"Beast Boy, Starfire," I shouted. "My fight is not with you, either. Stand aside and let me fight Robin alone, and I will not hurt you."

"We will do no such thing!" Starfire snarled back. "If you fight with Robin, you fight with me first!"

"We all have each other's backs, dude," Beast Boy agreed. "I hate to say it, Smith, but it's not gonna be a fair fight."

I smirked. Oh, were they ever right. Just not in the way they thought.

"Fine. Just remember. If at any time you wish to change your minds, simply leave the battle and I will honor my word." I pulled my amorphous steel knives from my belt and thumbed the switches, allowing miniature arcs of lightning to dance up and down the blades.

I charged the three Titans, their battle cries echoing throughout the abandoned warehouse.

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Oh noes! Evil cliffhanger! Whatever shall you do?

Why, I do believe you should review!

Sorry for the long wait, but I hit that stupid mental block again. Darn you, mental block! shakes fist in fury But yeah, this is a pretty long chapter, at least by my standards, so I hope the wait was worth it.

Many thanks to the two people who actually read/review this silly story. Thanks to criesblood (I love you!) and to Phaethon, who is not only my favorite author on the site, but also the proud creator of John Smith (the "I" character), and the person who has so graciously allowed me to use his fine OC in my humble stories.

Stay tuned for another exciting chapter of… Eventuality! Until next time, this is….

Ghostalker.


	10. Chapter 10 Preparation

Well folks, it's been a little bit, but here comes another chapter of Eventuality! The esteemed sequel to Duality and Finality, both of which are also stories on the ever-popular ! If you have the time you should check them out.

That being said, it's time for the formalities: I don't own the Teen Titans; they belong to DC comics, and I don't own John Smith, who belongs to the fantastic Phaethon. While you're just randomly checking stories on here, you should read his stories Smoke and Mirrors, and Wraiths and Hauntings. They're as good or better than my stories, I guarantee.

Without further ado then, it is time for the chapter!

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I charged the Titans, their battle cries filling the air as they came my way.

Robin, of course, was the first to arrive. He leapt into the air, attempting to spin into a kick that would knock me off my feet.

It was never to be.

I caught his foot and twisted quickly, throwing him to the side, barely in enough time to dodge Beast Boy's triceratops form. I landed lightly on his head, then ran over his back before his shock could register. I leapt off his back, then caught a powerful blow from behind.

It was Starfire. As much as I liked the girl, I couldn't help but be annoyed by her senseless devotion to Robin. I got to my feet, then suddenly flung myself at her, my blows too fast to see.

After two three-strike chains, she was flung across the room. Robin was incoming again, as was Beast Boy. I smirked. I wouldn't even need my Illusions for this, although it would make it a little more fun.

I cast a Veil, blurring my form. The two slowed, confused, but it wasn't enough, as they collided midair while I ducked. The two heroes crumpled to the ground on either side of me.

I caught Robin up by his collar and slammed him into the ground, my anger at him causing me to abandon my Viper style. I lifted him up again, casting an Illusion that turned my face into that of a flaming demon, my mouth opened wide in a hideous grin, through which Bird Boy could see hundreds of thousands of screaming spirits.

The fright in his eyes was delicious, but I wasn't done yet. "Well, Bird Boy. Do you now see the errors of your ways? Do you understand why fanatic devotion to justice can get you into trouble? It's something you never learned from Batman. When to _quit_."

"He never quit…" Robin spat back. "Besides, I'm not him. And I never liked you. From the very beginning."



"Like I cared then. Like I care now. I just don't give a damn what you think of me, Robin," I hissed. "All that matters now is that I'm going to have my revenge. And against my better judgment, I'm going to leave you alive. You have Raven to thank for that."

Robin squirmed in my grasp, then looked over my shoulders and his eyes widened.

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Tylan and Cyborg were watching the Titans as they arrived, and saw Smith.

"Yo, dude, that's Smith, ain't it?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah, that's him alright," Tylan answered.

"Why's he wearing black now?"

Tylan sighed. "I made the new suit for him. Thought he might like a change of pace. I guess it was a mistake."

Cyborg frowned. "Why?"

Tylan looked down. "I upgraded his suit. Now, not only is it impervious to nearly all physical damage, but it makes him faster and stronger too. Kind of like what my armor used to do."

Cyborg's one eye widened. "You mean… he actually has fighting ability now?"

"Yeah."

He began tearing at his restraints. "Aw, man, I gotta get there and help 'em out!"

Tylan shook his head vigorously. "No way. Not in your current condition. Besides, by the time we got there, it'd be too late. There's nothing we can do."

Cyborg continued to attempt to free himself. "We can still try."

Tylan paused. "There _is_ something we can do… but it won't help us at all this time. How long does your recharge cable run?"

"Around the tower. Why?"

"Good. I need you to hook yourself up to the long cable so we can both work on this. I also need you to open the vault where Robin is keeping my old armor."

Cyborg nodded in understanding. "If we upgrade your old armor to the same specs, we can have someone who's a match for him."

Tylan grinned. "Not just one. The two of us. I could probably upgrade you, too."



Cyborg grinned. "What are we waiting for? I can't wait to kick Smith's butt next time!"

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Robin's eyes widened as he looked over my shoulder.

I smirked. No way was I going to fall for that old bluff. No way was I going to let him…

Stars exploded as I was hit in head from behind, dropping Bird Boy to the ground in the process of flying headlong through the air. I landed hard, skidding several meters before stopping, looking around wildly to see what had hit me.

It wasn't Starfire or Beast Boy.

It was Slade.

Apparently I hadn't kicked him in the head hard enough, because there he was, leering at me with that single eye. I pushed myself to me feet, pure rage and hatred powering me now.

But when I saw Robin get up, and sensed Starfire and Beast Boy flanking me, I knew I was in trouble. For while I could take Slade one-on-one, and could easily handle the three Titans, trying to handle all four at the same time would prove problematic. And I had more important things to do. Like plot some more revenge.

"This is just the beginning!" I warned, before casting a different Illusion, which appeared to make me dissolve into thin air. "I will return."

Before anyone could launch an attack at my location, I was gone into the night.

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Slade gazed around at the three Titans. "Well, well, well. What have we here? Three Titans against one Slade? I think the outcome is obvious. But since we all know I'm going to beat you, let's just save ourselves the trouble and part ways. We'll meet again, I'm sure."

Slade vanished in a flash of fire.

Robin pounded his fist into his other palm. "Damn! We had two major villains in the same place and they both kicked our butts!"

Beast Boy put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Dude, don't worry about it. We survived, and nobody got seriously hurt. Except maybe you," he conceded. "But still. We achieved our goal: the villains are gone, no damage was done, and we live to fight crime another day."

Robin stormed out of the warehouse, muttering, "that isn't enough…"

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Starfire and Beast Boy looked at each other for a long moment, then shrugged. Beast Boy bent down to pick up the unconscious Raven, and gave her to Starfire. "I can't carry her and fly, so you'll have to do it."

Starfire nodded. "Of course. I would be happy to carry friend Raven."

The duo headed back to the Tower.

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Meanwhile, back at the Tower…

A maniacal laugh sounded throughout the room. "Yes! It is complete! At last, all my work has come to fruition!"

Cyborg raised his eyebrow at Tylan. "Man, you play the mad scientist a little too well for my comfort."

Tylan looked sheepish and shrugged. "Sorry, I've always wanted to do that." He turned back to the armor. "So now all I need is a good supply of psitanium. Could we head back to E's island in the T-ship?"

"Sure. I just hope we get back before the Titans do…" as he finished his sentence, the other four came through the door.

"… or not," he finished.

"Never mind. I'll get some from Syntech. Thankfully, I still have my bank account." Tylan went to find a computer terminal with Internet access.

"I'm guessing it didn't go so well." Cyborg looked sorry. "Guys, I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help. I wanted to go so bad…"

"We know, Cyborg." Robin said. "It's not your fault. You had to recharge, and besides, going out and fighting Smith and Slade on your first day of life is probably not the best idea anyway."

"True." Cyborg gestured at the armor. "So… what do you think?"

Robin shivered. "That thing still brings back bad memories."

Cyborg nodded. "I hear ya, man. But it's our best shot at beating Smith next time."

Beast Boy frowned, his brows scrunched up in confusion. "But wait! If the armor was powered by Tylan's psychamajigger abilities before, and he lost all those, how is it supposed to work this time?"



"Psionic, BB. And don't worry. He's already thought of all that." Cyborg grinned down at his best friend. "Now c'mere and give me a hug!"

Beast Boy looked up in surprise. Cyborg became suddenly more serious. "But just this once."

Beast Boy broke into the biggest smile he had ever smiled, and embraced his friend hard.

Cyborg sighed. "Man, it's good to be back. Group hug, everyone!"

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So there it is! The latest chapter of Eventuality! Now, I love reviews as much as the next guy, so you should definitely review! Please and thank you!

Also, special thanks to those two people who actually read this nonsense, Phaethon and criesblood. To criesblood: I love you, dear. Thanks for being so supportive of my awful writing and for being mine. I couldn't be happier. To Phaethon: I hope this is more to your tastes in JS writing. Hope you liked it. And thanks for letting me use this guy. He's fun to write.

Thanks for reading! Until next time, this is…

:Ghostalker:


	11. Chapter 11 Dilemma

Well, it certainly has been a long, long time. I apologize; I was not sure in which direction I was going to take this story or how to get there for the longest time, but now I have a vision for it. This chapter is the result. I hope you enjoy it.

For the formalities: I don't own the Teen Titans, as they belong to DC Comics, and I don't own John Smith, the character who is written in first person. He belongs to Phaethon, who has written some AWESOME stories for . If you have time, you should read those; they are truly incredible.

Also, if you haven't already, please read my two other stories, Duality and Finality. They're the prequels to this story, and help this one make more sense.

And now, for the chapter proper.

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I fumed. The Titans had beaten me, when there was no way they should have. The only reason they did was because I had made the mistake of having two enemies in the same place. I should have killed Slade while I had the chance. The scum shouldn't have been alive.

I ran back through the battle in my head. I didn't do anything wrong from a combat standpoint. Except… I abandoned my form. I started being flashy, showing off. That _definitely_ wasn't my style. What was wrong with me?

I looked at my hands. What was going on? I mean, sure, Robin had tried to kill me, and I was still angry at him for it. And Slade was scum anyway, so nothing wrong with taking him out. But wanting to kill him? That wasn't my style. Sure, I'd left Robin alive, but I'd only done that for Raven, not for him. Not for myself or my scruples. I was changing; my inner villain was coming back, and he was beginning to take control.

_So what? Who cares if you're doing what you have to do to survive?_

I jumped, startled. A voice in my head? _That_ had never happened before. I thought back. Actually, it had, once before, the very last time I'd fought Tierce. Tylan's voice had come to me in my head, asking for my help, and I'd helped. So was this Tylan in my head again?

_No, Tylan has no powers anymore._

"What are you talking to me for!?" I shouted at the voice.

_I'm part of you, fool. The strong part. The part that knows what it takes to live, and has no problem doing it. The part you should be listening to._

I considered that. I had long thought of myself as two different men inhabiting the same body, as far back as my first experience with the Titans all those years ago. On the one hand, there was Wraith, the superhero who did good deeds, albeit in a rather unorthodox way, and on the other was John Smith, the cranky villain who didn't give a damn. Smith was a survivor; what the voice had said clicked with what I knew of my two personas, and so I wrote it off as being the voice of my "Inner Smith" finally becoming strong enough to vocalize itself inside my head.

"So…" I said. "Tylan has no powers anymore?"

_That's correct. If you'd paid attention after defeating Tierce, he said as much. Your problem is a lack of attention to detail._

It was true. I could only pay attention to the small things when I really wanted to, like when I wanted to take revenge on Slade for killing my friends.

"Of course. I'd forgotten." Like my wraith, my "inner Smith" apparently knew only those things I did, although once again it was like having another mind work with the same information. Things usually turned out better at those points. "So what does that have to do with anything?"

_Well, Tylan is the only one who knows about the nature of your return, no? And is he not the only one who knows how to stop you?_

"I guess."

_Then he must be eliminated. Besides, he's been with Raven a lot as of late… they may be getting too close. We wouldn't want him to steal her away again, now would we?_

"I don't know. I mean, Tylan may not necessarily be on my side, but he's never done me any harm. Why should I 'eliminate' him?" I asked the voice aloud.

_Because he's the only thing standing between you and your goal: revenge. Revenge on Slade, revenge on Robin. And getting Raven back._

"Still…"

_Fool! The more you hesitate, the more opportunity you give him to spill all your secrets and find a way to defeat you! He must be taken care of!_

"Fine!" I shouted in anger. No matter what it took, I had to stop that incessant voice in my head. Even if that meant appeasing its violent demands and killing Tylan.

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Tylan finished his modifications to Cyborg's systems and closed his chest panel. Cyborg had watched, giving Tylan pointers and helping him identify confusing systems. With the two of them working together, they had finished all the upgrades to Cyborg's body within an hour, having finished the final construction on Tylan's old armor systems.

As Tylan straightened and Cyborg sat up, the alarms began to go off in the Tower. The two raced to the main room, to find the other four Titans already staring at the screen. Once again, a large blinking, stylized "S" flashed on the screen. Slade again.

"All right, Titans, let's go!" shouted Robin as he began to leave the room.

"Hey Robin?" Tylan called before the Boy Wonder could disappear. Robin whirled around. "Yeah? What is it?"

Tylan jogged over and whispered something in Robin's ear. Robin nodded in understanding. "Cyborg, you're staying here with Tylan. Don't worry, you can come next time." Robin, Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire left the Tower at top speed.

"Aww, man!" Cyborg complained. "I'm totally at 100% right now! Why can't I go fight?"Tylan whispered in his ear as well, and he too nodded in understanding. "I see. I guess I'm still recovering from being dead. Maybe not 100% yet."

The wink that passed between the two went completely unnoticed by the intruder above.

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I grinned down from my place in the shadows near the ceiling of the Tower. I couldn't believe that the Titans had bought my distraction. I'd used my PDA to falsify a Slade attack, making the overeager Robin rush out of the Tower. I'd counted on Cyborg leaving too, but he shouldn't be a threat. After all, he himself stated that he wasn't at full capacity; I should be able to take him down without much trouble, and then kill Tylan before the other Titans figured out the truth and returned to the Tower.

Tylan turned to leave the room, heading into the back. The perfect opportunity to take out Cyborg. I dropped silently from the ceiling when his back was turned, and as he whirled around I kicked his feet out from under him. I leered down at him before picking him up by the throat and heaving him into the far wall.

He emerged from the dust cloud, yelling and firing his sonic cannon at me. I knew Illusions were useless against the mechanical man, so I relied on my enhanced speed and reflexes to dodge the blasts. As he came at me, I spun under his outstretched arms and slapped a device Red X had given me long ago onto Cyborg's back. The device, made of xenothium, shut down Cyborg's body, leaving him standing motionless in the middle of the room.

I couldn't resist taunting him a little. I strolled nonchalantly around to his front, and leaned in to his face. "I knew I'd beat you eventually, Iron Man," I cackled. "You always thought your robotic brain would make me useless against you. I never thought you'd come back, but now that you're here, I just want you to know that I'm the new big boy around here."

My world exploded in pain as I flew across the room. Stars flashed before my eyes as I hauled myself to my feet. Cyborg was still frozen in place. What had hit me? Then, in disbelief, I saw a sight that I had certainly not expected to see.

There, standing in his former armored glory, stood Tylan, his fist clenched. "Think again, Smith," he declared. "Your antics stop here."

Cyborg burst into song and dance. "Stop… in the name of loooooove! Before you breeeaaak my heeeaarrt…" After receiving a pointed glare from the other two, he quickly quieted down. "Oh. Never mind." His arm transformed into a sonic cannon and aimed at Smith's head. "You're done, Smith. We're taking you in for good."

"_Never!_" I hissed. I lashed out at Cyborg, taking him down in a quick three-punch chain. Before I could react, another incredibly powerful blow caught me in the back of the head and I reeled forward, wishing I had accepted Tylan's offer of a helmet. I turned around only to meet another blow, to the chin this time, which sent me flying up into the air before smashing into the ground with a sickening _crash_.

Cyborg was the one to pick me up this time, and he tossed me up before striking me with a barrage of punches that sent me sailing across the room toward Tylan, whose following kick nearly knocked me unconscious

_That's it. This has to stop._

As I slowly climbed to my feet, my fists clenched and I gritted my teeth. I attempted to conjure a fireball, but my Pyrokinesis skills had never been very good, so the only thing that happened was a large flash of flame that scorched my hand. My two opponents hooted with laughter. My anger flared, and I readied myself to charge them. When I finally did, however, I noticed my lack of speed immediately. My suit had failed me, finally, and I now knew I stood no chance.

Tylan stopped my advance with one hand and caught me around the throat. He lifted me into the air, his fingers tightening around my windpipe until I could barely breathe, let alone summon any kind of magic. As I gasped and choked, I found myself wondering _How? How can he do this? He has no powers?_ I managed to choke out the one word, "hghk… how?"

Tylan's helmet parted in the front, revealing his face. He sneered at me, his usually cheerful face now twisted with spite and vengeful glee. I was surprised; this was very uncharacteristic of him. "I assume you mean this…" he gestured to his armor. "… well, I'd like you to believe that I have my powers back, but the simple truth is I used my most powerful weapon of all: my mind. You see, being an inventor and engineer has its advantages, and the fact that I constructed your new GRAVE and SHROUD only enhanced my understanding of your weaknesses. You're arrogant, and the addition of the new suit made you think you were invincible. But while you _were_ strong, even muscle wires are no match for the sheer power of hydraulics." He squeezed my throat a little tighter to emphasize his point, causing me to gasp and splutter. He continued. "And while you might have beaten me with sheer speed, the fact that I knew you were coming allowed me to get the drop on _you_ instead of the other way around." He paused. "The fact of the matter is, I've outwitted, overpowered, and outfoxed you. If it weren't for the fact that I lost my powers, I'd be vastly superior to you in every way. And yet, _she chose you_." His voice became a hiss here, and his grip tightened all the more. "I don't know why, but what I _do_ know is that I am now faced with an incredibly difficult choice." The next thing I knew, I was being smashed into a wall, though the grip around my throat did not relax. "You see, on the one hand, if you continue to resist, I will have no choice but to kill you. And while that would make Raven very sad, it would also eliminate you from this rather awkward circumstance that exists between the three of us. And on the other hand, I could let you live, and hope that Raven sees the incredible error of her ways." He lifted me up and looked me in the eye. "Your fate is in your hands."

His fingers continued to constrict, and my vision started to black out around the edges. Tunnel vision; a symptom of hypoxia or suffocation. I knew I was going to die if somebody didn't intervene, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cyborg, his lights dark and his body unmoving. I knew he was not going to help me. My desperation finally triggered my last resort; the power I had not wanted to use, but was now forced to: my Domination. Before I completely blacked out, my mind splintered into two pieces; one in my head, and one in Tylan's. I then turned my attention to Tylan, and forced him into a coma before collapsing back into my own mind.

"_WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" _came a familiar voice from behind, and I knew I was in deep trouble.

Raven, eyes flaring white, was standing in front of the other three Titans, and she did NOT look happy.

"This," I muttered, "could be very bad."

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There it is, the next chapter of Eventuality! I hope you liked it, and even if you didn't, a review would be greatly appreciated. Also, I'd like to thank the two people who actually read this story, Phaethon and criesblood. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be writing still, so many, many thanks to both of them.


	12. Chapter 12 Dominated

Hey! Sorry about the very, very long wait, but after such a long hiatus, I actually knew what to do with this chapter! You'll be happy to learn that I have indeed finished another chapter of Eventuality. Hopefully, the story will be flowing more smoothly, meaning sooner updates, but then again, we all know how well those hopes have turned out in the past, now don't we?

Disclamer- I don't own the Teen Titans, nor do I own John Smith, the character from whose viewpoint the story is written. He belongs to Phaethon, who is awesome. 'Nuff said.

Anywho, here is the chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

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As I stared into Raven's glowing white eyes, I knew I was in a shitload of trouble.

"What did you do to him?!" she repeated furiously, and I gulped.

"He and Cyborg attacked me… I had no choice!" I hastily explained.

"Like we'd believe that. We know you were hiding in the Tower. We know it was you who planted the false alarm. We know you were here for Tylan. So cut the shit." Robin glared at me furiously.

"But… but…" I was at a loss for words. I had been anticipated? I mean, sure, Tylan knew. He _always_ knew. But how had he warned the rest of the Titans about it?

With a flash of realization, I knew that it must have been when Tylan changed Robin's mind about bringing Cyborg along. Tylan had known he would need the help from Cyborg, the one Titan who was completely immune to my Illusions. And he'd told the rest of the Titans to make it appear as though they'd bought the trick. The degree to which I had been manipulated staggered me.

"Enough buts, Smith. It's time to take you in, and this time, I can guarantee you won't escape death like you did last time." Robin stepped forward, already reaching for his bo staff.

"_No!"_

Robin stopped, surprised. I did too, for I was not the one who had said the word. It had been Raven, who had stood, silently fuming while Robin had been talking. But now she pushed him to the side as she stepped forward. "It's just you and me, _Smith_."

That stung. She hadn't called me that since… since… well, I couldn't remember when. Ever since we'd been together, she'd called me "John." Now, to hear her spit my last name venomously… I knew she was not going to spare me this time.

"Raven…" I began, in part to try and forestall her imminent attack, and in part to distract her so I could place a crippling Conviction on her.

The moment I attempted to enter Raven's mind, I was hit with the mental equivalent of a hand grenade to the face. I physically staggered back in shock at the mental power I'd just witnessed. To say she was furious would be an understatement. In fact, _livid_ might just be understating just how angry she was. I knew this would not be easy.

My only chance was to let her spend her power and then use the Conviction to disable her, but that would involve a long, drawn-out battle, and I'd already nearly died today.

Nevertheless, I drew my two electro-knives and powered them on, twirling them around my fingers as arcs of lightning danced over the blades. I moved to attack.

And I was blown off my feet with a blast of pure magic. Raven's two white eyes had transformed into four red ones, and she was covered in a fiery black aura. An aura that moments later began to shed black flames which became four-eyed demon ravens.

The ravens shot toward me, their razor-sharp talons aimed at my eyes. I tore the first two in half with my knives and then whirled away from four more that had come screaming at me from my left. Unfortunately, my spin carried me right into the path of another two, and I barely had time to put my arms over my face to protect it from the bleeding slashes that now decorated my forearms.

I lowered my arms and looked at Raven, but she was still furious, still giving off demonic blackbirds as if they were bees and she were the hive. Faster and faster they came, and my knives danced in and out, slashing them to pieces. But for every one I killed, three more came, and soon my entire torso was covered in gaping slashes, blood oozing from every one.

Suddenly, the black tide stopped, and I chanced a peek between my upraised hands at my assailant. No more ravens were issuing from her aura, but her power was far from spent. She raised her hand, and I braced myself for an impact. I was not disappointed.

She sent me flying across the room into the wall, knocking the wind from me. Then, she picked up a slab of broken wall from my earlier tussle and sandwiched me between it and the still-standing wall behind me. As I dropped to my knees in the rubble, she stepped over, then gestured with her left hand and sent me crunching into the ceiling.

While pinned to the ceiling, I threw one of my knives at her, not aiming for anything vital, mind you, just trying to get the shock into her system so as to break her concentration. The sparking blade stopped dead against a defiant wall of black energy. I threw the other, but nothing came of that either. I now had no weapons and was cursing myself for wasting them like that.

The next thing I knew I was once again crashing to the floor, my impact knocking the wind out of me. "Raven…" I coughed. "Why… why are you like this?" I attempted to split my mind into five fragments, so as to do to her and the other Titans what I had done to Tylan; to dominate them, perhaps even turn them on each other. Getting in Beast Boy's head was easy enough, and Robin was having too much fun watching me get my ass kicked to notice how I slipped past his mental defenses. Starfire… I abandoned that effort, as her mind was too alien to me. But again, when I attempted to delve into Raven's mind, I was blasted back. Even after all the ass-kicking she had given me, she still hadn't reached anywhere close to the limit of her power.

I knew I couldn't crack her control, not with her in raging demon PMS mode. I did, however, manage to make her miss me with the chunk of flying rubble she sent hurtling at me by casting a Haze in the nick of time. Unfortunately, that was to little avail, as the next moment, I was sinking into the floor. I looked down at my feet to see them surrounded by blackness, which was quickly phasing me through the floor.

Once I was up to my neck in floor, I stopped sinking. Raven squatted next to me, and growled down in my ear, "Do you have _any_ idea what you've done to me? What I've been going through because of you and your _stupidity?!_"

"Umm… no." I replied meekly.

A loud slap to the face was the only answer I got. As my head spun from the sharp blow, another came from the other side, this one with a hint of psychic power behind it, and the next thing I knew was the sweet, painless dark of unconsciousness.

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And there you have it, the latest chapter of Eventuality! If you haven't read the prequels to this story, Duality and Finality, please do so, and review if you so choose. This story makes so much more sense having read both of the previous ones; else, you're left to piece the background together, which is nowhere near the full story. In short, read the other two, I'm hoping that if you liked this, you'll like them. Until next chapter, this is…. *dramatic pause*

Ghostalker


	13. Chapter 13 Exposition

So it is, that once again, I, the humble and lowly Ghostalker, do return to add another chapter to Eventuality, the third in the series of –ality Teen Titans fanfics. I do hope you enjoy this chapter. Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, nor do I own John Smith (the character which is written in first-person perspective). He belongs to the incredible Phaethon, whose stories "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Wraiths and Hauntings" are simply awesome. Read them if you like this; they're even better.

So, without further ado, here is the chapter.

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_Beep._

_Beep._

_Dammit._

I knew that sound. I hated it, especially when I didn't know who it was, because I then knew who it was. It was me.

I knew precisely where I was in that moment. I was once again in Titans' Tower, in the infirmary, and, judging from the tightness around my wrists, I was strapped down to the hospital bed in which I lay.

I kept my eyes shut, attempting to "see" the room by enhancing my hearing, but I realized I couldn't tap into my powers. I felt then the small circles near my temples. Psychic blockers. Just to make sure I couldn't break free.

I cursed inwardly. Of course Bird Boy would be careful about that. He'd never trusted me, even when we'd been nominally on the same side; why would he trust me now that I was his enemy?

The door whooshed open and I slitted my eyes open to see who it was. It was Tylan. I tensed. Before Raven had arrived, he'd pondered killing me, and had nearly succeeded. I had to be careful.

I pretended to still be unconscious, but Tylan stepped up next to the bed and muttered "I know you're awake, Smith."

Half of me wanted to keep up the charade in hopes of fooling him, but the other half knew he wouldn't be fooled, so I opened my eyes and looked at him.

"Well? What is it? Come to gloat about your victory?" I taunted. If I couldn't fool him, I could at least throw him off.

Rather than rising to the challenge in my voice, he looked away, with what looked like remorse on his face. "I'm sorry Smith."

"For beating me up and threatening to kill me? For nearly killing me?" I asked incredulously. I didn't think he'd have regret after the way he'd talked, but then maybe I wasn't giving him enough credit.

"No." He turned back to me, and the look in his eyes was different now. It was back to the manic light he'd had when he had nearly choked me to death. "For what I'm about to do."

I seized up in terror, expecting him to kill me on the spot. Instead, he put his thumb on my jawline and his middle two fingers on my temple. I felt my body freeze completely, and a strange, _cold_ feeling began to creep through my mind.

"I wanted to thank you, Smith." His voice was _frigid_, and reminded me of his other half, his evil side we all knew as Tierce. "You played into my plan perfectly from the beginning. Well, there was the small hitch where you wanted to play the hero and sacrifice yourself rather than risk Raven's place in the Titans, but that was solved easily enough."

I was confused, but couldn't say anything as he continued, "You see, when I went to work for E, I spent every day checking in on that stupid sword. You know: the one that held Slade, Malchior, Trigon, and Tierce. Oh, and Cyborg too." I remembered. He continued, "Well, after a few days of checking on it, it began to _speak_ to me. Tierce began to speak to me. He promised me all sorts of things. He promised me my power back. He promised that he would help me take you out of the equation and thus win Raven back. I resisted. At least, at first I did."

My eyes widened as I began to understand. The cold feeling was still spreading through my head, but it had almost filled my mind, and I knew I didn't have long. Tylan continued to monologue, "But over time, Tierce's promises began to become more attractive. As I realized that letting Raven go was a bad idea, I realized my folly, and even began to agree with what he said. He laid down an elaborate plan, one that would heavily involve _you_."

I frowned in confusion again. _How do I fit into this?_ I didn't have to wait long before Tylan answered my question. "I let a small piece of Tierce into my mind so as to gain a small measure of my power back. I could at least sense certain things that I couldn't before, and much like your Wraith, Tierce acted as a second mind to help me piece together this plan. The first thing I did was create a supersuit, knowing that eventually your suit would fail. When this happened, I knew you would come straight to E to get it fixed; you'd become too reliant on your technology. At the same time, I tipped off Control Freak to the location of Slade's lair and the tresterium so he would discover it. I knew he wouldn't be able to resist the allure of incredible strength, in addition to all the fancy gadgets in Slade's lair. He, too, played a very important, though short, role."

"When your suit inevitably failed, as I knew it would, you came straight to me. I gave you the new SHROUD, knowing that you wouldn't have time to properly calibrate it. This then gave me the excuse to trigger the mechanism inside that would wind up with you killing one of the Titans. At least, that was the original plan. But you didn't go sparring in it when you got back as I had planned; rather, Control Freak acted outside my plan and prompted you to go and 'accidentally' kill him." He smirked, and removed his hand from my head. I couldn't move, much less speak, and my clouded mind was beginning to have trouble understanding what he was saying. "Fortunately, the Titans turned on you when you killed a villain, though I expected you to fight back and give me an opportunity to kill one of them. You never did, though, so I was stuck coming up with a Plan B."

He began to pace, and my eyes, seemingly of their own accord, followed him. "That one wasn't easy, but fortunately, Tierce had an idea. I would bust you out of prison, set you loose on the Titans who had betrayed you, and at a critical moment, cause your vaunted SHROUD to fail catastrophically, killing you and thus removing you from the picture. Raven would see how mistaken she had been in choosing you instead of me. Everything would be back to the way it was."

With great effort, I managed to say "You're sick. Twisted."

He laughed, a cold, mirthless, laugh. "I suppose. But how twisted is it that fate stuck you and Raven together when you'd left her for some years? When I was there. When I had loved her enough to die for her, literally. She still left me for you, the coward who was always running away!" His eyes blazed. "That, my friend is twisted!"

I saw his point. That didn't mean I had to agree with him.

He continued before I could compose an adequate response. "But back to the story. You wouldn't cooperate. You're an unusual and complicated person, Smith. You claim to be a coward, yet at the most inopportune moments you shed the cowardice and grow a pair. Like you did in that prison cell. I paid Red X a lot to bust you out; I wasn't about to let all that go to waste because you finally felt like playing the hero." His cool, calm manner was back, at least on the surface. "So I had to come up with a different method, one that would end up with you out and Raven safe on the Titans' team without any suspicion on Robin's part. I decided that you would have to die. In retrospect, I should have left you dead when they electrocuted you, but Tierce had other ideas, and I did want my powers back, so I went along with it. You see, it wasn't the defibrillators that brought you back. It was Tierce, utilizing some black magic and placing a small shard of himself inside your mind as well." The look of dawning realization must have amused him, because he chuckled again. "Yes, that's right. That voice in your head wasn't any part of _you_, it was part of _me._" He began to pace again. "When I brought you back, you were now perfectly prepped to begin the campaign of vengeance, the _Wraith_ back from the dead and poised for payback. So I feigned the breakout by Slade in order to galvanize you into action, when all along, _I've_ been harboring all those souls. Except Slade's; he's better off by himself anyway."

"So when you took off to go get revenge on both Slade and the Titans, I couldn't be happier. I'll admit it was highly satisfying to see you beat the crap out of Slade; I never liked him either. It was also interesting to see you so handily defeat the other Titans while sparing Raven. How touching it was," he mocked. "First, though, they'd come to find me when Raven sensed Tierce's aura in the tower. She thought he'd escaped; little did she know it was the piece of him inside you the whole time. They thought it was a breakout."

"I'll admit I had a moment of weakness when I told Raven about your existence. At this point, my plan had changed—well, rather, Tierce's plan had changed. He wanted to use you to get to Raven. So I orchestrated everything to get you here to attack me; Tierce did an excellent job persuading you to do it, and then Cyborg and I nearly took you down with our enhancements." He smirked, and I shuddered at the memory. "I'll admit I wasn't prepared for your Domination trick, but Raven still defeated you quite soundly, as I knew she would. The whole time, the Titans knew your false alarm was false. I tipped them off to it. So they hadn't really left at all, and you were going to be outnumbered and beaten down. There would be no escape for you, and so you would end up here, now. And now my plan is finished. You see…" he bent down and whispered in my ear "_you now have every shred of Tierce inside your mind, and there's nothing you can do about it. My plan will come to fruition the moment Raven walks in here and you look her in the eyes."_

With that, he straightened, and left me, numb, paralyzed, and utterly helpless, to ponder everything he had said.

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So there it is, the newest chapter of Eventuality! Haha, I live for exposition chapters, and this is certainly one of those. Let me know what you think of the evil plot that's been in motion since pretty much the beginning of the story, and what you think of the chapter as a whole. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Needs improvement? Just leave it in a review and I will reply if at all possible.

In addition, I'd like to thank my two most faithful reviewers, Phaethon and criesblood.

Criesblood: Thanks so much for being my constant encouragement! I couldn't live without you, much less write fanfiction. I love you dearest!

Phaethon: I can't stress enough how awesome it is that you let me use your character. Thanks so much for 1) letting me use him, and 2) your constant support and constructive criticism.

Until next chapter, this is

::Ghostalker::


	14. Chapter 14 Desolation

And yet again, I, the great and mighty (not really) Ghostalker, do return to add another chapter to the story that is titled Eventuality. It's a decent length, and I apologize for the lateness, but writer's block is a bitch, what are you going to do?

So yeah, here it is. If you haven't read the prequels to this (Duality and Finality, in that order), please do (you can find them on my profile), as this story makes zero to no sense if you don't.

And finally, thanks and disclaimers. Thanks to criesblood, my constant supporter and closest friend, the love of my life and my light in this otherwise dark and dreary world.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans (property of DC Comics), or John Smith (who belongs to Phaethon, an amazing writer whose stories you should read). I DO own Tylan, Tierce, and this plot.

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A loud scream echoed through the halls of the Tower.

Rather than die immediately away, the scream continued, long and loud, each echo reflecting the vast amount of agony its creator was experiencing.

The Titans came running, from every corner of their Tower. Tylan, who had arrived there first since he was the closest, bolted into the room and stood, bewildered by the screaming man. Following closely behind came Beast Boy, then Cyborg, then Robin, then Starfire, and finally Raven.

John Smith was writhing, restrained in his bed, his eyes screwed shut with pain, screaming at the top of his lungs as if in hell itself.

"What happened?" Robin inquired of Tylan.

"I… I don't know," Tylan muttered. "I mean, I came in to check on him, and then when I left the room he began screaming!"

"Maybe he's just trying to get us to feel sorry for him!" Beast Boy suggested.

"You think so?" Cyborg pondered this for a moment before Robin's angry voice snapped him out of it

"It doesn't matter! This screaming is driving me nuts! How does he keep on screaming without breathing?" Robin shouted.

Tylan shrugged. "Raven, maybe you should see what's going on in his head. That might tell us what's going on here. We wouldn't have to release him or anything, just look in his mind…"

Robin nodded in her direction. "Do it."

Raven sighed, and stepped over to beside Smith. She placed a hand on his head, but after a second or two, she shook her head.

"I can't see anything in there with those dampeners on," she monotoned. "I'm going to have to take them off. Be ready, in case it's a trap."

The Titans assumed their ready positions as Raven removed the dampeners from Smith's temples and then placed her fingertips on his forehead. As she did, however, his eyes shot open and connected with hers.

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The pain was _excruciating_.

I don't know how, but somehow, Tierce, who was residing inside my mind, had begun to inflict terrible pain on me. It felt like I was on fire, but my bones were freezing, while thousands of tiny needles forced themselves through me, slowly and mercilessly. My body twitched and writhed of its own volition, my wildly contracting muscles forcing the air out of my lungs in a protracted scream of agony.

I wanted to die.

Unfortunately, Tierce had no such thing in mind. He would not _let_ me die. He would see to it that I lived through this incredible pain. I wondered, however, if he was feeling the same thing, since he occupied my body as well.

In any case, it hurt. A _lot_.

I was vaguely aware of voices in the room, though with my eyes tightly shut and my own screaming filling my ears, I might have been mistaken. But when I felt the small circles that were the psychic dampeners being removed from my head, and an alien sense of anticipation and vengeful excitement filled my consciousness, I snapped my eyes open and looked into Raven's beautiful violet eyes for what I was sure would be the last time.

Then all hell broke loose.

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_A dark red sky loomed over what remained of the Titans' Tower. What few clouds floated in the crimson sky were blacker than night on their topside while reflecting the glowing red lava beneath them._

_Hell had come to earth._

_No interdimensional demon sat enthroned in the wreckage of the Tower. Not this time. Though the world was an exact replica of the time Trigon had ruled the earth, he was not the ruler here._

_Tierce stood on the roof of the Titan's Tower, looking out at _his_ world. Yes, his world._

_And he had Raven to thank for it._

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Raven awoke.

The last thing she remembered was staring into John Smith's open eyes, and suddenly a bright white light flashed through her mind before everything went black.

Now, however, she couldn't move. And she was in an awkward position.

Her arms were buried up to the middle of her forearms in concrete. The concrete of the walls of the cell she was in.

At least, she _thought_ it was concrete.

She couldn't feel her hands, though suspended by her arms in a crucifixion-like position, she wasn't surprised. Anyone would lose feeling in their hands if suspended like that for hours on end.

After a few seconds, she stopped pondering her curious position and started wondering why she wasn't _freaking the hell out_.

Especially as she looked up into her face. Well, sort of her face. More like, her face, with four red demonic eyes and a wicked grin on its face.

Ok, _now_ she was _freaking the hell out_.

Her scream, which should have echoed off the walls of the tiny chamber, instead seemed to die as soon as it left her mouth.

Her demonic doppelganger leered evilly at her. "_Welcome,_" it hissed at her. In a single instant, images of other Ravens were flashed in her mind, each in a similar situation, trapped in various means of imprisonment, one in a cage, one tied to a medieval-style rack, one weighed down by heavy chains.

The demonic vision of herself continued "_I have a special punishment in mind for you. Ha! In mind! How fitting…"_ it purred. "_You see, you are trapped within your own mind, and I am in charge here._" It waved its hand, and suddenly Robin appeared before her, two shadowy shapes looming over his kneeling, bound form.

"Raven! Help me!" Robin cried out, and in answer, one of the two forms shoved a white-hot iron poker into his side. His scream _did_ echo throughout the room.

"No! Robin!" Raven cried out. Then in another instant, it was Starfire in front of her, and a different shadowy figure was doing something horrible to her, something Raven quickly shut out of her mind by closing her eyes.

At least, she tried to.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she began to see flashes from her life, times she had failed her friends, times she had snapped at them or times her friends had been hurt because of her. She saw John Smith, being electrocuted to death in front of her, though she had not been there.

"_Yeesssss_" the demonic voice hissed in her ear as her failures continued to play on in procession, marching through her vision like a twisted sort of marching band. "_No matter what you do, you cannot escape your punishment. When your eyes are open, you will see your fears realized. Should you close them, your failures will appear before your eyes. And no matter whether your eyes are opened or closed, the screams of your friends will echo in your ears._"

It was the perfect form of torture. No escape. No reprieve. Even unconsciousness was no refuge, as her dreams took on nightmarish forms and tormented her further.

She wondered how long it would be until this torture ended, and the voice of one of her other selves answered in an anguished moan "_Forever…"_

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White.

Everything was white.

I wondered why it was white.

I mean, isn't eternal oblivion supposed to be black?

As I came to myself, I looked around and found that I was not alone in the unending whiteness. Tylan was there as well.

Anger exploded in my head.

I ran over to him, on _what_, I'm not sure, but I ran, and as he began to rise to his feet I wrapped my hands around his neck and began to choke him.

He struggled with me, attempting to shake my grip, and finally succeeding just enough to gasp "_It wasn't me!_"

I stopped choking him, though my hands did not loose themselves from his neck. "Oh really?!" I blurted. "Is that why you were working with Tierce, why you put him inside my head, and why we are now in this place instead of in Jump City? Is that how you explain all this?"

He pulled away and fell to his knees, his back to me. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" he wailed. "Tierce was supposed to reward me for this! I helped him come back! I did everything just as he said! _How could he do this to me!?_"

I stood watching, my arms crossed over my chest in disbelief at what I was hearing. "Gee, I dunno. It could have something to do with the fact that he's EVIL!"

Tylan slumped. "Yeah. I should have known… I should have realized he'd betray me in the end."

"Yeah, you should have." I plopped myself down next to him. "But look, I wasn't much better. I let him manipulate me into almost killing you. And Cyborg. I was ready to kill Robin, for sure."

"Yeah…" He stood, and I followed. "Okay, what do we know?"

I started to tick things off on my fingers. "You put Tierce in my head. I looked in Raven's eyes. Something happened, and now we're here."

"That's not much, is it?" he asked of nobody in particular. "Well, I say we start walking."

"Why?" I took in our surroundings, which were nothing but endless white in all directions. "It's not like there's any sights to see."

"Well," he replied, "the way I see it, we're probably stuck here in some kind of limbo, possibly for eternity. If we're not, though, there might be an end to this place, and either way, it wouldn't hurt to start walking. Either we'll reach something, in which case, we can figure out what's going on then, or we won't, at which point we'll know we get to spend eternity antagonizing each other, and so walking could help blow off some steam. Am I right?"

"As usual," I sighed.

"Let's get cracking then." He started off in one direction.

I followed, hoping he was right about there being an end to this boring place.

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So there it is, another chapter of Eventuality! I hope you liked it, but even if you didn't, you should leave a review, please. I really like those. Even if they're constructively critical. I don't block flamers, but I do laugh at them, so flame at the risk of your own dignity.

Until next chapter, this is…. (drumroll)

::Ghostalker::


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